Project X
by XetaJTS
Summary: Xeta Shidel has gone through hell in a single night. He is now alone, homeless, and even without his own body. After adjusting he now tries to live a normal high school life while keeping what has happened to him a secret. It might be difficult because of the girl he has known since he was a kid starts getting suspicious of him and what has happened. (Pls let me know if you like!)
1. Chapter 1 Night of Tragedy

"Xeta." Uh. Who could that be? Five more minutes.

"Xeta!" Whoever this is is really annoying.

"I said five more minutes!" I complained.

"XETA!" With that I woke from my slumber. I was sitting in a desk, at school…. Ah crap. I looked up and saw my teacher, Mrs. Leonhart, looking down at me. She had dark brown hair, glasses, and blue eyes. She wore blue jeans and a white shirt in a very fashionable way.

"Want to explain to me what you're doing, Mr. Shidel?" She asked me. I guess I must have passed out during her class. It wasn't really my fault, I stayed up late because of a test I was really stressed about.

"S-sorry, Mrs. Leonhart, I had a rough night, didn't get much sleep. I promise it won't happen again!" I pleaded.

"Well… I believe you, but it isn't like you to just fall asleep like that. You even have bags under your eyes. Why don't you go get some water to wake you up?" She suggested.

"Thanks!" I said, walking out of the classroom. I headed to the bathroom, and went over to the sink. I turned on the faucet and cupped my hands,filling them with water and splashing it on my face. The cold water jump started me, and helped keep me awake. Afterwards, I took a look up in the mirror in front of me. A few short bangs drooped own from my medium length, dirty blond hair. My blue eyes staring back at me in the mirror, and I saw part of the dark blue, Nautica shirt I was wearing. After splashing myself with water a couple more times, I felt wide awake. I then tried to make it back to the class as fast as possible, without getting hurt. Luckily, Mrs. Leonhart gave me what I had missed, which was just two pages of notes. She was my math teacher, and thankfully, she was one of the best teachers. She always seemed have my back.

Once class ended, it was time for lunch. I brought my lunch from home, because of the fact that school food is absolutely terrible. I went over to my normal spot at lunch, a booth near the back, and saw it was empty. I sat down and started getting my hamburger ready to eat. Before I could take my first bite I got interrupted.

"Not going to wait for me?" I looked up to the source of the voice, and saw it was my good friend, and crush, Elizabeth. She had very beautiful, bright blond hair, She wore it in a short style, with some length in the back. It was a simple style, but it fit her. She had blue, rounded glasses that complimented her beautiful blue eyes, and she wore light blue jeans with a dark purple shirt.

"Sorry about that. I'm just really hungry." I started laughing partially.

"What, did you not eat breakfast?" She said whilst sitting down.

"Nah, I didn't have anything at the house for breakfast." I said, taking a bite of my hamburger.

"Then how do you have lunch?" She query's.

I swallowed my food before speaking, "My dad stopped by McDonald's so I would have something." I stated.

"You're eighteen and still need someone to drive you?" She asked playfully.

"You know, you're not exactly in the clear. You're eighteen and you get picked up by your mom every day." She got surprised when I said that.

"Heh! Guess you're right!" She said laughing. I joined her in laughter, as we both continued talking. I had known her since we were kids. We'd always hang out when we were younger, and thankfully, that hasn't changed to this day. Even though we were in twelfth grade, we still kept up with each other whenever possible. I think, after all this time, she knew I had a crush on her, and being honest, I notice her blush a lot when she is around me.

Once lunch was over, we said to each other goodbye for the day. We had first period, second period, and lunch to spend time together tomorrow. I left for my fifth period class, English. This teacher was a pain in the arse. Her name was Ms. Knell. Wonder why she was single? She treated everyone like dirt, even if you got every question on a test right. She will still ridicule you and diss you like no tomorrow. Doesn't matter what it is. She is one of those type of teachers. I just stayed quiet and let her lecture steam ahead. My last class was my favorite. Criminal justice. It was a two-hour class with a really engaging teacher. Her name is Dr. Bolle. She was funny, she's very kind to her students, and would always be there for you if you needed help. Even though it is a long class, it still went by in a flash.

That was the last class of the day, so I headed straight for the bus ramp to catch my bus. As I waited, one of my friends walked up to me.

"What up, Xeta?" He said while tapping my shoulder. His name was Bruce. He had been one of my good friends since I got to high school, and I could trust him like a brother. He was African-American with thin, black hair. He was about maybe an inch or so taller than me. I'm only five foot six, so that made him five foot eight.

"Yo! So how was your day?" I asked, simply.

"Same as always, it sucked!" He exalted.

"I bet. I fell asleep in fourth period." I added, scratching the back of my head.

"You're crazy! Was it because of your test in second?" He questioned.

"Yeah, really had to cram to pass it." I stated. After a little while longer, our bus arrived to take us home. We rode the same bus, so we were able to talk on there as well. I was one of the first stops, however, so it didn't last too long. I waved at him and walked the rest of the way from the bus stop to my house. Once I got back, I was greeted to my mother and brother Zye.

"Back late, I see!" My brother said. He was eight years old and had long brown hair. To compliment he also had brown eyes.

"No, you're just early." I told him, tapping his arm. My brother was a goof, and he drove me nuts. Same as any other, right? Still loved him, though.

"Yeah, I know!" He said poking fun at me.

My mom then walked into the room, taking a break from reading, "Hey son! How was your day?" She asked.

"Eh, the usual." I said in a tone that expressed boredom while my brother was pulling my arm.

"I see, how do you think you did on the test?" She asked while walking to the kitchen.

"Oh, I passed it. That studying I did really helped!" I replied proudly.

"Well, you did stay up until twelve o'clock at night studying. You might not want to keep that habit." She chuckled.

"Yeah, I know." I said. After that, I went to and stayed on my computer the till evening, checking out deviant-art and stuff like that. Once my dad came home, I helped him cook dinner, and we finally sat down to eat. I told everyone about how I fell asleep in fourth period. My brother got a good laugh out of it, but my parents got worried I wasn't getting enough sleep. I told them it wasn't a normal thing that'd turn into a habit, and proved it by decided to hit the hay early. It was only nine o'clock when I went to bed, but just so my parents wouldn't worry, I decided I would go ahead. I got myself ready, put night clothes on, brushed my teeth, and finally got in bed. It took a little while, but I was finally able to fall asleep.

I heard my alarm wake me up, and I tried to reach for the snooze button. I clicked it…. And the alarm was still ringing. I opened my eyes, and as they adjusted to the dark, I saw two things. One, my clock said three a.m., and I usually got up at five. Second, and most importantly, there was smoke in my room. The alarm I was hearing wasn't my clock, IT WAS THE FIRE ALARM!

My family had always planned for this situation, so I sprung out of bed and into action. I got down on my knees, getting underneath the smoke, and quickly got my shoes on. I then grabbed the small, wooden drawer set I had, and threw it at the window. It Didn't work, the drawer bounced off it harmlessly. I then tried to throw the hard-drive of my computer at it, still, no luck! Suddenly, the ceiling above my door frame broke, and all the wood, plaster, and more came crumbling down. Smoke from the debris and fire started to fill my lungs. I had to get out NOW!

Thankfully, I saw my savior. It was a sword that my parents had got my for my birthday. I was a collector, so I wanted to get my hands on it. It was a hundred dollars to buy, and thankfully, it was made to match the price. I took it off the stand on my wall and used it, hitting the window as hard as I could. As I swung, I could smell the smoke enter my room thicker than before, and it had started to choke me. After just a few more strikes against the window, swinging with all my strength, but I finally shattered it, and jumped out. As I jumped through it, a piece of glass cut through my pants and dug into the skin of my leg. It felt as if my leg started boiling, then burn, like an oven. I felt blood drip down my leg. I fell to the ground on my feet and crouched down. The piece of glass got stuck deep in there, and I had to pull it out. I took hold of the shard, and started tugging at it as I did my best to hold a my scream. Then, finally.

With a sound that closely resembled paper ripping, I ripped the piece of glass from my skin, and with a brutal scream, "ARRGGGHH!" That hurt so damn bad! Thankfully, it wasn't bleeding as bad as I'd originally thought. I tried to limp my way to the front of my house with my sword in hand. Once I got there, I was expecting to see my family standing there waiting for me, but….

What I saw there was a man who dressed in all black. He wore a combat uniform…. And he had a canister of gasoline sitting right beside him. It didn't take a scientist to figure out he started the fire. He took noticed of me and gave me a devilish grin.

"Just in time for the show." He said in a sinister tone. I took a look around and saw my family was nowhere out here, and if they weren't out here, then that meant…. OH NO!

I made a mad dash for the front door. I didn't care if I got burned, killed, or maimed. IT DIDN'T MATTER, I'D GET THEM OUT!

Before I even got a chance to get into the house door, it collapsed, and I heard three very distinguishable screams come from the aftermath, then silence. My eyes went wide at the scene. What did we do? WHAT IN THE HELL DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS!?

I didn't care anymore, but one thing is for certain. This man is the one who killed them. I stared at him dead in the eye as he stood there with that smug grin of his. That grin, it made me so furious! He enjoyed what he did to them, and he enjoyed hearing the screams. As flaming debris flew by, I grabbed my sword, readying it once more. This time, to draw blood. This seemed to make his grin wider, but it didn't matter.

"I'LL MAKE YOU SCREAM!" I shouted.

I readied and charged at him, trying to slash my blade at him. He dodged my first slash with a single back step. I quickly swung around again, but he dodged once again. I ran at him full speed aimed you sword right where I wanted to hit him, HIS NECK! Before I could land the hit, he grabbed me by my wrist. He then tightened his grip to a point where it seemed to shatter the bones in my wrist, causing me to lose feeling in my hand, and I screamed out in writhing pain.

"ARGH!"

I lost grip on my sword, and I tried to back away. He didn't give me any sort of chance. He grabbed hold of my hair and hit me with his knee hard in my abdomen. I had blood running from my mouth, and I could taste the iron. It was horrible. Before I could even realize what was going to happen, he slugged me so hard I spun a one-eighty and landed on my stomach. He knocked out one of my teeth with that one.

"I always love it when they always fight back." He said, chuckling slightly. He then picked up my sword and walked over to where I lay.

"You seem fond of this sword. I wonder how this'll feel?" He then jabbed the sword through my right leg, the pain exceeding the glass that was embedded previously. I followed it with a scream of agony. Why couldn't anyone hear this?!

"Oh? Does it feel good, being stabbed by your own toy!?" He said as he dug it in further, then ripped it out.

"ARRGH-AH-AH-ARRRRRGHHHHHHH!"

"You're probably wondering why nobody can hear your screams. Well, it's simple. I made sure no one can hear you scream!" He planned this! What good would any of this do?

"You see, I'm not allowed to kill you. I have to detain you, then give you what what I was told to give you. The rule is, though, we have to… Oh, but that would be spoiling the fun. I would rather you find out on your own." He walked back over to where I lay, and pulled out a knife. He grabbed me by my hair and held me up.

"You see, even though I can't kill you, I can do anything I want to you before the let us add one. More. Little. Cut!" And with that, he took his dagger, placed it on my cheek, and raked it up to my right ear!

"ARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGH!"

"There, that's all for now…" He then took something out of his outfit and injected it into the back of my neck, and dropped me as I laid there in pain. He then turned his back, and I saw him hold what appeared to be a phone to his ear, it looked a tad different though.

As he talked to the person on the end of the line, I felt a pain, a pain way worse than any of the other I had suffered tonight! But the thing was instead of wounding me, my wounds were actually starting to heal. As I writhed in pain on the ground, he kept talking to the guy on the transceiver. My eyesight, for some reason, had changed. It felt sharper, clearer, but I could only see one color. Red.

I felt a hate, a hate worse than any I've ever felt. That man, he did this! He took them away, made them suffer, MADE ME SUFFER! Now, it was my turn. Just as the man hung up with the person he was talking to, I grabbed the sword he left sitting next to me and I charged, sprinting at him.

The same ripping sound that had transpired earlier could be heard, but this time it was louder!

He looked terrified. As blood ran down his mouth he moved his head to look down at the blade that now penetrated him. His head turned slowly to look at me, and the face he made was akin to a person who had just seen the devil.

I glared at him, "Now you will suffer a fate, worse than hell!"

(Elizabeth POV)

Where was he? Xeta hasn't been to school in a few days. He's never missed school like this. I mean, sure, he might have just gotten really sick, but ever since he got to high school and found out about exemptions; it's just not like him. He hasn't missed a day this year, yet now he's reached his limit. If he missed today, that was it. No exemption. I sat down in the normal spot in the lunchroom, waiting for him. We would always meet up in the lunchroom, then head to our first period together. This wasn't like him. Did something happen? Was he hurt? He didn't have a cell phone that I could call, and when I called his house number it said the number didn't exist. That was weird, because it would say it wasn't in service if they got a new number or something, not that it didn't exist. I would have gone over there, but my parents wouldn't allow me to. God, why did they have to do me in like this? I had many other friends, but they know how me and Xeta are, and they also know how I have a crush on him. Well, that was it. If he didn't show up right now, I was going to give up and head to my first period.

But thankfully, I didn't have to worry! There he was! He was standing at the doors of the lunch room! But… there was something different. I could even tell from here how dramatic they were, and other people were starting to give him weird stares too. First off his attire. Instead of wearing his normal clothing I see him often wear, he was wearing a black long-coat. The coat had dark blue decals on the ends of the sleeves, with matching ones on the bottom rim and the hood. The zipper even has its own little metal blue flame.

The next noticeable feature was… Oh my god. Running diagonally across his neck was a giant scar, it looked nearly healed, but it looked like he was attacked by an animal! Who or what could have done that to him!?

Then the last feature, and I double checked myself here, was his eyes. Instead of that sparkling sea blue that I had come to love, his eyes turned a crimson red. Instead of them being round, they were slits, just like an animal would have. I thought they were contacts at first, but the way they moved was much too real for that. He looked directly at me. I saw him smile slightly, and I waved to him. But instead of him walking over here and talking to me, he just weakly waved back, then walked down the hall. That wasn't like him. We always talked and spoke to one another. Was he avoiding me? Was he ignoring me?

No, it's probably because he doesn't want to talk about what happened. I'll give him space; he must have gone through a lot, if that scar has anything to say…. He definitely needs his space for now, but I'll be sure to figure out what happened to him during lunch.


	2. Chapter 2 Silent

(Elizabeth POV)

After waiting a little while in the lunch the bell finally rung to tell everyone to head to first period. I took my time walking. I was thinking about Xeta, what did he go through, that question kept ringing through my head. I just saw him days ago, smiling, happy! What happened?

When I made it to my first period he was there. Unlike where he would look at the door for me to come if he got there early he just sat there looking at the desk. I took my time walking over to my desk which was right next to his. When I did sit down he didn't even realize. I had to tap his shoulder to even get his attention. His new, red eyes opened wide and the slits thinned to looking like just a line. I was positive now, contacts are great and all but they did not do what those just did. He finally took notice of me and just stared at me. While he did I couldn't help but look at the scar on his neck. It really got healed, it looked like when he had it made it had fully healed now.

"Hey Xeta," I said calmly. I wanted to make sure I wasn't being forceful even though I wanted to know what happened. To reply he gave me a wave.

"So I, you know you made me worry about you y'know? I got worried that something bad happened to you," He had just looked down sadly when I said that.

"Xeta, wh-" Before I could finish the bell rung and our teacher started speaking.

"Good morning class!" Our math teacher Ms. Jones stated. She then shut the door and walked to the front desk where she dawned a serious expression. "Now I was going to start this class differently than what I am about to do but something serious came up." Wait did she know?

"I have to point this out to everyone who doesn't know. An accident occurred three days ago. If you didn't know who he was, Xeta our student up here in the blue and black long coat, and off-topic but I really do like it Xeta!" She exclaimed. He gave her a small smile and then she continued.

"Anyway, three days ago an accident occurred, Xeta's home had burned down," She stated sadly. What I looked over at Xeta and he dawned a somber expression.

"His house caught fire and during it he tried to get out, when he did a piece of glass cut his neck, to cut it short Xeta can no longer speak," WHAT!? My eyes had grown wide and I was about to shed tears. I took a look at Xeta and he gave me a look with his new eyes that said "I am sorry."

"Please if you can try to give him support, not only did he lose his home but, his family was not able to escape the fire, I will not say anymore on that subject as I was told not to, please just have him in your thoughts students," My eyes widened even more, I just gave him the same look but he wasn't looking at me anymore. He just looked down in thought. I noticed all the other students giving him looks of shock and sadness. Some of them didn't know him well but they weren't soulless and they understood that this wasn't a joke. I knew it wasn't either, a teacher would not announde something like that unless this was real. It made sense why he didn't want to talk, not only did he not want to but he couldn't! I didn't know what to do or what to say. After thinking for a minute I did the only thing I could do. I gave him a hug.

I had my eyes closed as I hugged him. I felt him hesitate before he finally decided to return it. I noticed something strange when I did though. When I hugged him it felt like his head and neck were smaller. Like the person I was seeing wasn't the person I was hugging. Another thing I noticed when I hugged him was that his neck was furry, and when his arms wrapped around me his hands felt off. Not only were they fuzzy but his hands felt weird too, but at that time I didn't care, he needed this now. Once it was finally over and I opened my eyes I still saw the same person I had grown up with. I didn't talk for the rest of the class period. There was nothing to talk about, and there was nothing he could say….. Why did this happen to him!?

Out of every person who is garbage, trash, sadistic, and just plain evil! WHY HIM, THE ONE PERSON WHO TRULY CARED FOR ME!

While in my thoughts I hadn't noticed Xeta slid something on to my desk. I looked down and saw he had written me a note. It said, "Are you okay?"

I gave him a look of shock, "Me?... What about you, I should ask that question!" I stated seriously. He gave me a small smile and took the note back. He started writing but funny thing is he was only writing with three fingers, maybe he had always done that and I just hadn't noticed. He handed the note back after a minute and I read it.

It said, "No, I don't think I will be for a while, but I am glad you are here and you helping me out, thank you."

"Xeta, you don't have to thank me, you would do the same for me," He gave me a soft smile. For the rest of the class we just used the paper and pencil to talk. I would give my opinion of something and he would write his opinion down on the paper. It wasn't the best thing in the world, but we were talking, and that is all that mattered. It didn't matter if I couldn't hear him, all I had to do was see what he had to say.

Second period came around and we still used the same method of communicating. The teacher gave the same speech about what happened like Ms. Jones did. Since we had already heard it we just kept doing the same method. But the teacher saw what we were doing and came up to us.

"Oh! Passing notes I see, well since you are so interested in passing notes young woman why don't you read it out to the class!" Mr. Cormin said.

So I got up in his smug face, "Okay then!" I walked up to the front of the class while Mr. Cormin looked smug, some of the students seemed interested, and Xeta was just shocked to see me get that way.

I then read the note, "Yes, when I jumped out the window a piece of glass lodged into my leg, I had to pull it out so I could even walk," The students were all giving me weird looks and Mr. Cormin just looked confused.

"Want to know what that was Mr. Cormin? This right here, is the only form of communication between me and Xeta, as you said a minute ago he can't speak so it is the only way he can talk. He was telling me about how he escaped from his house while it was on fire, so Mr. Cormin unless you want to get reported to my counselor I suggest that you show a little more decency than this," I then sat back in my desk and just waited for him to move. The rest of the class was grinning or laughing and the teacher got stunned. He went back to giving the lesson after I had said that.

I looked over to Xeta and saw him with a impressed smile. He continued to have the same smile as he handed me a note. I read it off and it said, "Nice one!" With the exclamation added to the end. I told him thanks as usual.

We then worked on our assignment until it was time to go. I asked if he would be all right on his own and he nodded to confirm. I went to my third and fourth periods and nothing really special happened. I was hoping that Xeta was okay during these periods, but he always told me he had a good fourth period teacher, so hopefully he would be okay. After my two periods finished I headed to lunch and waited at the same table we always sat at. I waited for Xeta to come but then I realized something important.

He did not have his lunch! He always kept it on him but today he didn't, he said he would always make it, but that would be hard if you didn't have a place to put food! Oh no… I KNOW! When he gets here I will buy him lunch! Oh wait, he doesn't like the school food….. WAIT! I can get him something from the vending machine! That will work.

I then noticed him walking over to me and….. He had a plate of pizza, and not school pizza but the good kind from a restaurant. He waved at me with a smile and sat down.

"Xeta what? How did you get this, I thought you told me before you don't have money in your account?" He took out a piece of paper and started writing on it. Once he finished he handed it to me to read it.

I then read from the paper, "My fourth period teacher Mrs. Leonhart got the class pizza, but she told me after class it was to help me with what happened,"

I looked up at him in shock, "Wow! You have a really good teacher," He nodded in agreement. As we sat there a couple of people came up and were asking questions. Some people asked about the scar but the main question was about his eyes. People kept asking how his eyes were like that and why they changed from the ocean blue color they once had to the piercing crimson they now were. He wrote down something on the piece of paper and it said to read the following to everyone.

I then read the note, "When my neck got cut blood started running out. But some of the blood from the wound got sent to my head since I was laying down. When it did it sent the blood to my eyes and it mixed with the irises. Thus they changed from Blue to the crimson that they now were," It seemed weird that something like that would happen but most people don't survive a slash to the neck either, I am so glad he is okay. Once lunch finished up he waved to me as he headed on to his next classes. The rest of the classes for the day were really boring. I also couldn't really focus on them either because I was so worried about Xeta and how he was doing. After my last three classes were over it was finally time to go.

I wanted to do something special though, I was going to go see Xeta at the bus ramp before I went with my mom. When I got there I didn't see him there. I thought he would be here, maybe I missed his bus. I got dissapointed I didn't get to see him but when I got to the car ramp I got my surprise.

Xeta was there! He was waiting for me at the car ramp and when he saw me he waved me over. I didn't waste any time going over to him.  
Once I finally made it over to him I started first, "You came to see me off!?" I asked.

He gave me an approving nod when I asked that.

"Funny thing was I was trying to see you off!" We both got a laugh out of it and when he laughed it sounded like growling, I guess his voice box still made noise but couldn't produce words. We did our own little talking ritual that we had done the day and we just kept speaking to each other until my mom showed up. Which she took her sweet time doing, guess she couldn't bother to try to get me earlier, I would probably hear that I need to get strong so I can succeed them or whatever. My mom finally did show up and she told me to come on.

Before I got in the car I turned to Xeta. "Thanks Xeta…. You know I have thought a lot today, the thought that I almost lost you has driven me crazy today. That day before this happened could have been the last day I would have seen you. I just keep thinking that this is a sign, that if I don't do something now, then I will never get the chance. I have to make this choice, and there is no way you can say it so…," Before he could even try to speak I gave him a kiss on the cheek with my eyes closed. Again it felt fuzzy but when I looked he was still him. I saw him reach his hand up to his cheek and hold it. He was blushing heavily and so was I.

"There is no need to thank me, let us try to plan something at some point okay!" I saw his eyes go wide and a smile start to form on his face. He quickly nodded with a big, cheeky grin. I think that was the happiest I had seen him all day. I had gotten in my mom's car while getting hell from her about what I just pulled. As we drove off I took a look back at Xeta and noticed something. He had lifted his hood over his head and all of a sudden he just got shorter! I don't really know how to explain it but it looked like in a mere second he lost about a foot of his height! He also got skinnier and the coat seemed to fit him better than it did. It now fit over his whole body as some sort of cloak! I was curious about what just happened but what really confused me was what happened next.

Instead of going toward the bus ramp he started running down the road. As he ran he got faster, and faster! But then the car got to a point to where I couldn't see him anymore. What was that? What did just see happen!? Didn't he ride the bus? How was he so fast, he seemed to even get faster as he kept going.

My mom turned to me, "What has you so spooked?" She questioned.

I took one last look back before turning to my mom, "Nothing, I think I was just seeing things,"

The car ride was as boring as ever and when we got to the house I took my time to get my stuff together. I sat down at my desk in my room and opened my backpack. I was going to get my homework done before I did anything else. When I did open my backpack I noticed there was a piece of paper folded neatly in my backpack.

I didn't put that there. I don't remember at least. When I opened up the fold there was a message. It was simple but it got the message I wanted.

Written on the paper was, "See you tomorrow!"

At the bottom it had a name signed, Xeta.


	3. Chapter 3 Unrecognized

Later that night after seeing the message that Xeta had left for me I decided it was time for me to go to bed. I had to get up at five so I could catch my bus, so to make sure I was not tired I made sure to go to bed early. Once I had fallen asleep I had a dream.

I opened my eyes looking up at the sky. Once I sat up I saw I was in a field of violets. I took my time standing up and saw that I was in a white dress. I took a look around at my surroundings and saw in all directions were more of these flowers. I kept looking back and forth, nothing but the Violets. I then looked up at the sky and it was cloudy, but the sun still shined through them. I decided I would walk until I got somewhere. I kept walking for hours. Even though I wasn't tired I was sick of walking. I decided to just sit in the flowers and rest. I sat there thinking to myself about what all of this meant until something tapped my shoulder.

When I looked back I saw Xeta! But he was different. He was wearing a simple black t-shirt and blue jeans. The scar on his neck was gone and his eyes were the normal bright blue!

"Looks like I found you!" He said.

"XETA!? You are here?" I asked.

"Yeah!" He said.

"But your eyes!? And your scar!? What happened to them?" I asked.

"What are you talking about? I thought you said we would meet out here remember?" He asked.

"Wait! D-did I?" I asked myself.

"Yeah! I thought you would remember!? Here I brought us lunch," He then put down the basket he had and laid out the blanket for us to lay down on. At this point I thought the thing was real, and I was happy! So I sat down with him on the blanket and started to enjoy the sandwiches and snacks he had brought with him. It was so great to hear his voice! I thought it was gone forever and I would never be able to hear it again. We just spent the time talking to each other, enjoying the others company. But after a while of talking his expression grew somber.

I did take notice of the change, "What is wrong?" I asked.

He looked at me with his blue eyes, then he closed them, "Elizabeth, I am out of time," He said sadly. He then stood up from the picnic and the blanket and food disappeared. The wind started to pick up too.

I sat myself up on my knees, "What do you mean?" I asked.

"You were my best friend Elizabeth… no, you were more than that, you were my life…. You were everything I ever wanted, and now… that fate is not possible" His eyes were still closed when he said this. I got surprised he had said what he did but I had to make sure.

"Wait! What do you mean I was more?!" I asked scared. The wind around us started to pick up even more than before.

"Just as I said, from what has happened, that fate is no longer possible, or even plausible, and I need you to hear this, because if this is the last time you see me, I want you to know I mean every word I am saying here." He kept his eyes shut tightly.

"What!? Xeta…. I feel the same, I always have! I always wanted to be with you! You were the one I wanted, all of my friends knew and would always keep the secret from you, because I asked them! I wanted them to let me be the one to tell you! So I want us to be together! I want to live my life with you!" I exclaimed while I held his hand.

His eyes widened to complete shock when I said that. But I realized his eyes were back to the bright crimson!

He started to cry, "I am glad to hear you say that but….," All of the sudden I started getting lifted into the air. The wind started carrying me away as I held on to his hand. He wasn't getting lifted into the air but stayed on the ground. The sky started turning black and the flowers started fading away.

"Don't let go!" I screamed!

"I am sorry….," His let his grip go and I started floating away. I tried struggling and reaching out to him, trying to push myself back to him. But as I did I noticed his clothing change to the black overcoat with blue trim appear on him. He also had the scar he wore on his neck now.

"XETA!" I screamed.

As he watched he reached for a flower, picked it up, and pushed it towards me.

"Farewell," He said. As it flew I saw the flower fall apart and inside was….. Oh my god!

It was the golden cross necklace that he used to wear. He would not take it to school because he is scared of it being stolen. It was apparently his family passed down piece. His grandfather wore it, then his father, then him. I reached out for it and took it in my hands. Then I looked back at him and saw him walking into the darkness.

"Xeta!" I called. He kept walking away.

"XETA!" I screamed. He kept walking.

"XET-" I was about to call again but before he entered the darkness I saw his body change. His head and body morphed to that of a canine, and he had a tail. I couldn't see details but I could see the shadow. Then the wind pulled me higher and higher away until.

"XETA!" I screamed after sitting up in my bed. I took a look around and saw I was in my room. So it was a dream. I took a huge breath of relief knowing that it wasn't real. That was a nightmare, I would never want to say goodbye like that. But the as I moved something jingled around my neck. I looked down at my chest and saw the golden cross necklace….

"What?" I audibly asked. How did that? Who? Why was it here? I did not have it, and I shouldn't even have it, if anything Xeta should have it on him! How did I have it? I decided to keep wearing it and get ready to go to school. I got dressed, got my hair made, ate breakfast, and brushed my teeth before heading out the door. While I rode the bus I kept staring down at the necklace I had. I examined it and saw the name Shidel engraved on it. That was definitely his necklace, no way it wasn't. Once the bus finally pulled up to the stop I walked out and went to the lunch room where I always waited. I was clutching my chest in agony. That dream was too real, and I got scared that it would come true. My right hand clenched my chest as my left held the necklace. Thankfully a wave of relief came over me as I saw him enter the lunchroom. I was so relieved I audibly gasped. He noticed me and came over to where I was sitting and sat down. My dream made me thought he would speak but to my expectations he didn't.

He gave me a confused look as to ask what was wrong. Thankfully I replied, "Oh sorry, just a nightmare got me scared, sorry," I said.

He nodded in agreement. But then I remembered, "OH WAIT!" He seemed shocked to my outburst but even more so when I pulled the necklace from around my neck and held it up to him.

"Here, I don't know how but I woke up with it on my neck, I want to give it back," He seemed to shake his head and push it towards me, "No Xeta, this is not mine, this is yours, somehow this survived the fire and ended up with me, I don't know how but it was fate, you need it, it is so you can remember your family!" I said seriously. He seemed to tear up but he seemed to give in and take it from me and put it on. He then gave me a small smile.

"You know, you look better with it on! Keep it that way!" I said happily. I saw him get shocked and I saw his mood get better dramatically. He got out the pen and paper and we just talked until time to head to first period. We continued to talk in that class too. I wish I could hear his voice again, it wasn't fair that he couldn't speak and I couldn't hear him, it just wasn't fair. After first period we were heading to our next class but we had to go to the outside area to get to it. We were walking when someone blocked us.

"So… You are that kid who can't speak," The guy in front of us said. He was tall and I think I had seen him before on the football team.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"See this kid had stolen my thunder, everybody feels sorry for you because you lost your worthless parents, I am sick of it, and now I am going to make you pay!" He said.

I was going to say something but I got cut off, "GRRR….," I looked over at Xeta and heard him making a growling sound. But the craziest thing was his eyes, they were actually growing.

"OH! You think you are some hotshot huh? Well you don't have a chance!" He charged and I backed up scared. The guy threw a punch but Xeta caught it in his hand. The jock and I were both surprised. He tried to throw another punch but Xeta caught it as well. The guy tried to get away but Xeta had a firm grip and he wouldn't let go. Then with a loud crack the guy screamed. His hand got bent over his wrist. I was actually terrified at what I just saw. It wasn't the fact that Xeta broke the guys hand, it wasn't the fact of how horrific the sound it made was. No, it was the look in Xeta's eyes, not only was it showing anger and hate, but the main thing it showed was control, his eyes were in slits and they were unfazed, like he wasn't even shocked at what he just did. Then the last thing about his eyes was the way they moved, instead of looking back at me or looking at the crowd that had gathered, he was just focused on the guy. No, even then it wasn't that he was focusing on the guy, it was like he was forced to focus on him. But a second of screaming and waiting later his eyes calmed in their expression and stopped glowing.

A teacher had come up to the scene, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" He screamed.

The jock on the ground ran to him in fear, "THAT KID IS A MONSTER, HE BROKE MY HAND!" The teacher took a look at his hand and saw that it got bent backwards over his wrist!

"YOU LITTLE YOU ARE COMING WITH ME!" The teacher yelled at Xeta. But I stood between them.

"YOUNG LADY MOVE THIS INSTANT!" He yelled at me.

"NO! That idiot behind you started a fight with Xeta, just because he said he was jealous of him getting attention, AFTER HIS FAMILY WAS KILLED! HE HAS BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH AND HE WANTS TO COME OVER HERE AND DO THAT, WELL I AM SORRY IF YOU PUNISH XETA YOU WILL PUNISH ME TOO!" I screamed.

He turned around to look at the jock, "Is this true!?"

"NO! She is lying! Everyone saw what happened!" He screamed.

Then a guy came out from the crowd, "Yeah what is saw was you picking a fight with someone who went through hell and you thinking you wouldn't get repercussions for it!" I looked over to see Xeta's friend Bruce. We don't talk much but I have met him before and know who he is.

"I saw it sir, this guy here provoked him and tried to attack, in his defense Xeta probably did the best way to subdue someone with minimal damage, so how about you punish the person who actually deserves it instead of causing a court case.

The teacher looked toward the jock in anger, "You are coming with me, not only will you be charged with assault but also for provoking the fight!" He then dragged the jock off without another word.

Xeta came up to me and Bruce and gave us both a nod, "I guess that was a thank you, don't mention it! I will always be here to help you out man, especially if it comes to speaking!" Bruce said.

"Thanks Bruce that was a big help," I said.

"Again it is no problem, let us get to class before we get in extra trouble," I went to my next class with Xeta and it was our same routine that we had done. After that we had met up for lunch again but Xeta has a different meal this time. He had a plastic bag filled with what looked like jerky and grilled meat.

"Uh…. What is up with the food?" I asked. He then wrote down on a piece of paper that he had bought grilled food and jerky at his new home. He got a lot of money from his life insurance so he was having to use that as food. He said he would try to get a job soon but he wanted to wait a little while which was understandable. After lunch I headed to the rest of my classes. I didn't see him for the rest of the day since of course we shared no classes after lunch.

At the end of the day I was heading to the car ramp to get picked up when I noticed Xeta. He was walking towards one of the large forests this town had. Didn't he ride the bus? Why was he walking, if he did get a new house he definitely would not be going in that direction. There is no houses for miles past those woods, so why was he going there?

I started walking in the direction and pulled out my phone to call my mom. Once she finally picked up I told her I was heading to a friend's house. She was a little pissed because she was already there to pick me up but she gave I and agreed. I put my phone up and picked up pace. As he I followed I noticed the same thing happen again. His stature got shorter and so did his coat. He started going a lot faster in the forest and it was hard to keep up. Thankfully I don't think he noticed me. He was so fast that I lost track of him. About ten minutes later I was about to give up and start walking home.

Before I could though there was a rustling in the forest. I held perfectly still and held my breath. I was scared for my life, that could have been anything! I waited and waited and waited. THEN!

Out of one of the thick bushes walked out a deer. It's tan fur and long horns standing proudly, it was a buck. I audibly gasped because it wasn't a predator and I was glad for that. He seemed to notice me but went on to eating some grass. This was my first time seeing a deer this close so I was actually very giddy and excited.

But it all turned to travesty. With growling type scream a wolf would make something pounced the deer. A noticeable stabbing sound rang through the air and the buck started screaming. It terrified me. That wasn't just an animal attacking the deer, it was Xeta! He had his hood over him and he had stabbed the deer with a sword. The sword seemed familiar to the one he showed me at his house one time. I thought maybe I was seeing things but from around his neck fell the same golden cross necklace I returned to him. It kept dangling as he kept removing and stabbing the sword back into the deer. All the while the deer kept screaming, that scream was something I would never forget, it was such a horrible scream that petrified me. Then with one finishing blow it was over. The deer stopped screaming and stopped moving. Xeta got covered in blood and so was his jacket. The grass and dirt was stained red from the innocent deer's blood. It was a grueling scene, something that you would see a pack of wolves do to an animal.

Xeta started to look up but before he could I hide behind the tree that was next to me. Was that really Xeta? Why would he do that, and how could he do that, I didn't see him! Did he see me? It doesn't matter, I he was terrifying, was this what the dream meant!? Not that I would never see Xeta again! But I would never know the same Xeta again, was that it!?

I heard rustling and took a look around the corner of the tree. He was walking away with the corpse of the deer. I took this as my chance to get out of this forest and away from him. I don't know what that was but I am never coming back here!

I could have sworn I saw him notice me but he kept walking, guess it was just my imagination. I decided that was all a mirage and the forest was messing with my head. I would have to walk home now since my mom told me she wouldn't pick me up. Guess it will be a long trip home then.


	4. Chapter 4 Savior

Once I left the forest I knew I had to get home somehow, and my parents already said that they were not going to pick me up since I did this anyway. I called my friends but they said they were too busy to come help me. I didn't have any other relatives that I could call either so my only chance of making it home was to walk.

Which really sucks because I live a couple of miles away from the school. I also had to go through the town to get there, this will be a long night. It was already dark when I got to the halfway point home. That was a really bad decision on my part. I started pondering to myself why I didn't talk to him, why I just took off like that. Even though I saw what he did to that deer that doesn't change that he is still my friend. Whatever force led me to walk away must have had a good reason to. Maybe Xeta is taking his families death worse than I thought. I don't really know but I guess he is just in a dark place now, and he needs to get out of it on his own.

Once I finished my debate in my head I noticed that I was entering the bad part of town. But this was the only way to my house so I had to anyway. There were some people on the street but thankfully none of them really paid any attention to me.

Well as it turns out luck really isn't on my side today.

"Well hello there missy, where are you off to at this time of night?" I turned around and got greeted by a guy who was about a foot taller than me. He looked like any old drug dealer that would hang out in these parts.

"I am heading home, and I have to get there soon so if you don't mind," I started to walk away but I noticed there was another guy in front of me.

"Oh come on! There is no reason in being afraid here!" The man behind me said. I ran into the alley that was next to me. I was going to take a right which was a shortcut back to the main street. But there was another guy there. I started backing up into the dead-end of the alley way and hit the wall. I was reaching into my purse when the first guy walked up. He took one of his hand and gently lifted my chin.

"Now listen, we don't want any trouble, if you play nice, and don't do anything stupid I promise it wont hurt," As he said that he didn't notice that I was reaching for the pink pocket knife that Xeta had gotten me as a gift and proceeded to open it.

"You promise?" I asked in a voice that deceived him.

"I do, not all men are that rough young lady," He said.

"Oh really? Well not all women are so gentle!" With that I pulled the knife out and jabbed the man right in the eye. As he screamed I tried to run away but the other two guys were able to grab me and keep me from running away. They held me so that there was no way I could escape. The man who got stabbed in the eye came over to me and held his hand against my cheek. He had a devilish smile that gave off so much rage that I was about to start crying.

" So I can see, well since you are such a tough girl I guess I don't need to be gentle. Hold her, I want to enjoy this," Once he said that I tried to squirm my way out. I tried so hard yet it was no use. He grabbed hold of my shirt and started to pull it off. I just started crying, there was nothing else I could do, they had me and they could do whatever they want to me. It was over.

Or so I had thought. All of the sudden this canine came down from above him and he had kicked him right on top of his head where it bent back behind his neck. The other two let me go and I fell on my knees right next to the canine and the man who was just kicked fell on his back. I looked up at my savior and saw that it was a blue, black, and tan furred canine. He stood on two legs and had spikes on the wrists of his upper paws and one on his chest. The fur on his torso was a bright tan. His arms were blue furred until they zigzagged black at the paws. The upper part of his legs had thick blue fur that made it look like he was wearing shorts. With the rest of his legs being covered in a thin black fur. All of his paws had three digits on them. He had a long blue tail that consisted of half his height, which his height was three-foot eleven. At the end of the tail it curved giving the tail an unusual shape. For the facial features his face formed a black mask that covered the top part of his muzzle with the rest of his face having blue fur. He had tall ears that on the inside had black fur coming out. He had four, black-furred, feeler like things on the back of his head that seemed to float on their own. Then to finish off the look he had crimson red eyes with the irises forming slits.

This creature was nothing like anything I had ever seemed before, the closest thing it resembled was a jackal if that jackal could stand on his hind legs. Around his waist he was wearing a harness that held a sword on his back.

"WHAT THE F*** IS THAT THING!" One of the men screamed.

"KILL THAT FREAK!" The other said.

The men pulled out knives while the canine pulled out the blade he carried. The canine ran up on them and the two men ducked out-of-the-way. But apparently it was a trick because when the canine landed he swung around and kicked one of the men into one of the alley's walls. Then the other guy tried to stab the canine but he tilted his head where the blade went by. The canine grabbed the man hand with his free paw and jumped over to where he had the mans arm was held behind his own back.

With a loud snap it broke that mans arm. Before the man could scream it jumped up and spin kicked the side of the mans head. Then before the other man could recover he ran and jumped to where both of it's legs jabbed themselves into the man's stomach and the mans back hit the wall with so much force it made him cough up blood and knock him out.

I looked at the scene in wonder. Why would this thing save me, what purpose did he have to do this. Maybe he had a grudge against these men and was killing two birds with one stone. It quickly sheathed it's sword and looked me dead in the eye.

My body went stiff, was I it's next victim? I couldn't escape from this thing, it was fast, it was strong, so I did the only thing I could do, wait. It slowly started walking towards me, it's glowing crimson eyes not moving away from me. Then it stopped. It looked down at the guy I stabbed and crouched down. It closed it's eyes and the feelers on the back of it's head lifted again and let out this purplish-blue energy. It then opened his eyes and the feelers fell down. It then blocked my view of the body and I heard a distinctive sound of a knife being removed. It turned around and I saw it had the knife that Xeta had got for me. The knife had blood all over it. But then it did something I didn't expect. He started rubbing the blade on his arm. His fur started getting covered in blood.

He then crouched down in front of me and I shielded myself for the wrath that was sure to come… But it never did. I waited and it never came, I opened my eyes to see he had closed the knife and handed it towards me. Reluctantly I held out my hand and took it from him.

"Thank you," I said. In return I just got a nod. I then saw him have that blue energy fill his paw and he held it on the parts of his fur he had blood on. It seemed the energy made the blood burn away but not burn the fur itself. Once it cleaned up it held out it's paw, I was guessing it wanted to help me up. I reluctantly reached out and grasped it. It was soft and the fur just added to it, something so soft causing so much damage, irony.

It helped me up on my feet and then walked behind me and got my purse. It handed the purse to me and I gave a thanks in return. It then offered his paw again and I took it more trustfully this time. It then quickly swooped me off of my feet and held me like I was a princess.

"Hey! What are you doing?" I asked. It just looked me in the eyes again and it's expression that said trust me. I stopped my squirming and pondered, it just saved my life, what else do I have to lose?

So I just held on as it carried me. It then ran to the end of the alley and started running down the street at high-speed. This was faster than most cars I got into, I had to keep my eyes shut so that the wind didn't hurt my eyes. Then we slowed down and I noticed we were in a forest close to my home. It was crazy. It was jumping off the sides of the trees and traversing through the forest like it was nothing but a straight line. Then he started to slow down. Once it came to a stop it prompted it was going to put me down. I got myself ready and it slowly lowered me to my feet. I looked down at this canine that was just carrying me in wonder, what was he?

It then held it's paw out again and once again I took it. It then started walking and motioning me to follow. I followed and it just kept walking checking back at me to see if I was okay. Then as we kept walking I noticed we were at my backyard.

How did it, how could it know where I live? Maybe, maybe it read my mind! Yeah! That makes sense, I mean this thing shouldn't even exist anything is possible. I let go of my hand and took a look up at me. I looked down at it and gave a smile.

"Thank you, I know you don't know me but you went out of your way to save me, I don't care what you are but thank you!" I the kneeled down and gave it a hug. I really didn't care at this point, it saved me, the least I could do was repay it. Once I got up I noticed that it was actually blushing under it's fur and it's eyes were wide.

"What's wrong? Never been hugged before?" I asked. I just kept staring. After a moment it looked back at my house.

"Oh yeah, I guess I better get home, my parents are probably going to kill me, thank you," I then turned from it and started walking home. But I stopped myself, I forgot to ask.

"Oh wait! I never asked your n-" When I turned back it was gone. I guess that was it then. I then went inside from the back door. Of course I got hell from my parents, they asked me what happened and why I didn't call but I just told them the friend I was staying with dropped me off, even if it was a complete lie. After all the hell I went to bed to get a break from the night. I went to bed a drifted off in mere seconds.

Once the dawn broke I woke up with the sun shining in my face. I did my usual morning routine and rushed myself out the door to school. Once there I waited at the same spot I always did for Xeta. I saw him enter the school in the same jacket, scar, red eyes, and necklace. Did he ever change clothes? I did notice one thing though, when I started talking to him he was blushing and acting all shy around me.

First period started and of course we did our work together. It was simple enough, Xeta and I working together made work in our classes a breeze. I did notice something though, two things actually. One everyone kept talking about how there were guys found beaten and dead in an alleyway, seems like news travels fast. Then the other thing was Xeta, not only was he blushing and acting shy but, he was being distant. It was like he was in extreme thought. It scared me really, he would usually give notes to me during class, but he wasn't as much now.

The rest of the day ran it's normal course as it would for us now, but before I went to the front of the school Xeta was there and he walked up to me.

"Hey Xeta what is up!" I yelled out. Since we were outside this time it didn't really matter. My tone went sower when I saw his expression. He seemed depressed and saddened.

"Hey! What is wrong?!" I asked scared. He kept staring down. I started to reach out for him but he backed up.

"Xeta?" I asked really scared now. He then just lifted his hand and gave me a note. I looked at what he wrote on the note and it said, "Sorry Elizabeth, but we can't be together, and you can't be near me, it is for the best."

OH HELL NO!

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!? WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT!?" I had tears streaming down my face. His expression turned to one of shock when I said that. I got up in his face.

"HOW COULD YOU DARE SAY THAT!? AFTER EVERYTHING WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH, YOU THINK THAT A NOTE IS SOMETHING THAT WILL JUST FINISH WHAT WE HAVE!" I was making a fool of myself but I didn't care.

He started shaking his head at me, trying to tell me no, or to stop, didn't really matter because both of those choices were not an option.

"X-Xeta y-you are a-all I have l-left, you telling m-me that this is the best, my p-parents don't care, they o-only care about k-keeping their family business going, p-please you are the only one who has given a damn about me in my l-life, please I… I love you," With that I saw his eyes start to water. He started to turn around and was about to walk off when I grabbed his arm.

"PLEASE!" I begged. He just stood there for a minute before he put his hood on and turned his head to me. When he did I wasn't greeted with the same person I had known for all of my life, but instead to the canine I saw from last night.

-Please! Let go!- I heard his voice! I heard the same voice I had come to know, but instead of hearing it, it was in my head. I don't know how but it was! When he turned it scared me so much I let go and he took off.

If he was the canine from last night that means he is who saved me last night. I couldn't just let him run so I chased after him. It seemed like he was going slower than normal, was he trying to hide his speed? If he was then that meant he has hidden this the entire time! When did this happen!? How did this happen!? I don't really know and I don't really care, now I was about to figure things out! Once I got to the forest I still saw him running. He was doing the same techniques the canine from last night used to get around the forest. No question now, it was him.

I noticed his head turn and he must have seen me chasing him. Then I saw something insane! All of the sudden this glowing, blue staff formed in his hands. It was in the shape of a bone but was still a staff. Then he took it and hit a dead tree with it so hard that the tree snapped. I stopped myself but he kept going. The tree fell in front of me and some of it broke on impact. Once that was over I climbed over the tree and continued moving.

I had lost track of Xeta once the tree fell but I was not planning on giving up this time. I kept searching for him but I just couldn't find him. But as I searched I came across something. It was a cave, just a simple cave set up from some of the taller hills that were in the forest. I decided I would go ahead and look in there, what else did I have to lose?

I entered the cave and it seemed to go a bit deeper down but not far. At the end I noticed there was light coming from the left of the cave. I walked down the slope as my feet made loud footsteps as I continued. As I got to the corner I took a look around it.

Sitting there next to a fire was Xeta. He was shorter than normal but had his hood up. In the cave was a fire lit. I took a look around the cave and saw all sorts of things. There was a gas generator in one of the corners and next to it was a couple of appliances such as a fridge, microwave, a television, lamp, and a game system. On the other side of the cave I saw there was a bed, a nightstand with pictures on it, and a desk with a laptop. After my look around the cave I looked back at Xeta who still just stared at the fire.

"Xeta?" I asked.

-Yes, Elizabeth?- He replied in that same mind voice from before.

"Do…. Do you live here?" I asked again.

He waited a minute before speaking, -Yes, I do,-

My eyes widened in shock, "But… But why?"

He then slowly got up from the fire without turning towards me. From the back of his coat appeared a blue tail. Then as he moved his arms up I could see he had the same black paws that the canine from last night had. Then he took hold of his coat and let it fall. Once he did he slowly turned around to face me. When he did I saw the same crimson eyes I had come to know, along with the muzzle of the canine from last night.

-This…. Is why.-


	5. Chapter 5 That Night

"Now you will suffer a fate, worse than hell!" With that I ripped the blade right out of the mans back and he fell to the ground screaming. The effects of the syringe started getting to me and my hand felt like it caught on fire.

"How!? Y-you should be out cold! How are you even standing!?" He screamed. In fact how was I standing, as he is making out that this is not a normal thing.

"I honestly don't know, if I was supposed to be knocked out cold it hasn't triggered yet, or maybe I am just so f***ing pissed off that my body wont give out until you. Are. DEAD!" After that I charged straight at him, I was a lot faster. He tried to dodge right but I was able to just sidestep so fast it tripped him up. I slashed him with the sword so hard that not only did it cut him but send him flying into my families truck. But once I did I fell clutching my hand in pain. I sat there in agony as the pain progressed.

With a ripping sound the pain subsided. I looked at my hand which was no longer a hand. It was a paw, and on the top of the wrist was a blood covered spike. Some of the fur was also soaked with blood. I heard the click of a gun sound off and right before the bullet hit I dodged it. It seemed as if my hearing to better.

"Heh, look it is a half-breed!" The man screamed. I raised my paw on top of my head and felt that had ears there now. I felt to where my ears were before and they were gone. I looked back towards him with a smirk.

"Lu look, a dead man!" I ran towards him again and I was able to simply sidestep his bullets like they were nothing. Then I used my left fist to punch him so hard that he hit the ground and bounced off it. As he laid in the dirt in pain I fell and did the same. My other hand was starting to change and I felt and extreme amount of pain in my spine.

I heard him get up and run towards me but I couldn't do anything at that time. But then with the sound of clothes ripping and the cling of metal his attack got stopped. I turned around and saw I had a tail now, and it had turned to steel. My nervous system must have went into effect because I felt I had fully control now. I quickly gave a push and it knocked the knife out of his hand. I jumped up into the air, turned my new tail to steel again and bashed him in the head.

I think I pushed him over the limit though because he brought out a night-stick and hit me across the face. Not only was I feeling the pain from the hit but also a searing pain in my chest and even more in my face. He hit me again and the force knocked me back to the ground. But I realized I was right next to his gun. He was about to run and hit me again but I grabbed it, turned around, and unloaded two bullets into him.

He fell screaming and I slowly got to my feet, which was starting to get hard to do at that moment. He started backing up and getting himself up.

"Y-You little, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day, someday soon we will get you, we will!" With that said he started running to my backyard.

"W-Lu-T, g-lu b-car h-rio!" I tried to keep walking but I started losing my strength. The gun fell from my grasped and I followed.

When I regained consciousness it was still dark out. Darker than normal actually. I tried to get myself up but was having a lot of difficulty trying to walk how I used to. When I got a good look at myself I saw that what that man did to me was complete. I was this creäture now, very similar to a canine. Blue, light-yellow, and black fur. Spikes on my chest and wrists. Even these new legs with fur that makes it look like shorts. I took a good look again and realized what I was, a lucario. I didn't know how, and I didn't know why, but somehow that bastard turned me into a fictional character, and!

With that thought I swung my head to look at my house. It was in shambles, the place fell in on itself and got burned to a crisp. I got myself up on my new paws and tried to balance on my bottom ones. Thankfully after a couple of tries I found my way around doing it and walking by using my tail as a counterweight. I then slowly started walking over to my house.

At that time I really did not even want to go near it, I was afraid. I didn't want to see what happened yet I had to, what other choice did I have, let someone else find out for me? No. If I was going to find out, it would be personally.

After stepping over to the house and stepping inside the remains I felt the burnt rubble beneath my paws still warm from the fire. These paws felt so weird, losing two digits on your hands and feet, it is almost like I could still feel it. As I walked I made sure to avoid areas that felt too hot to step on. I went to the remains of my brother's room first to start looking around.

After digging through the rubble I came up short, there was nothing there. I then proceeded to my parents room The whole place was in shambles but I was going to find them. I started to dig through the rubble, trying to find out where they were at. I came up short.

Then there was this one piece of rubble that I hadn't checked. I removed the large piece there and…

There they were. All three of them sitting back to back. Their bodies were chard and covered in dust, smoke, and burns. They were sitting in a circle. I was about to start crying until I saw something. Lying next to them was a string of something burnt. I picked up one of the unburnt pieces and saw that it was a rope. I took one last look at the scene and realized, they were tied up.

The man from before didn't start the fire to lure me out. He had already been in the house, he tied up my family and then lit the house on fire, knowing my family couldn't escape. He didn't start the fire to kill them, he started it to make all of us suffer.

I felt so much rage build up in me, more rage then I had ever experienced up until that point. This blue energy started vibrating from me, as if it was a roaring flame. Then I snapped.

"CCCCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" As I screamed the blue flames flared up even more. To the point where if you were there you could have seen the light through the forest. Once I screamed I fell to my knees and cried. My whole family, gone in a single night. No one should have to go through this, I shouldn't have to go through this. After mourning them for a straight hour I heard sirens in the distance!

OH NO! They can not see me like I am! What do I do, what do I do!? I then thought of an idea, maybe my aura could do something, anything to hide the fact that I was this now! So I closed my eyes and concentrated on how I used to look. I was against the clock, I had no time left, then suddenly with a flaring sound I opened my eyes. I felt my arms, legs, and body all the same but there was and image over me. It moved as I moved. It was like a costume I wasn't wearing. It was see-through for me but I looked in a mirror that wasn't destroyed in the house and it only showed the image, but one problem, my eyes were still red. That could be excused though….

Crap. I forgot that during the change my voice kept changing. I can understand what I say but the sound that comes out is growls. What could I do to excuse that?... I GOT IT! I then quickly changed the image of my neck to have a burned scar on it. I then made it look like I had burned clothing then got myself into place. The cops came up along with the fire department and they found me sprawled out on the lawn of the house.

The cops did take notice to me and made sure I was okay. They tried to help with the scar but I persisted on shaking my head to say no. They really did try to get their hands on it but I wouldn't allow it for obvious reasons. They tried to get me to speak but I used hand and body motions to tell them I could not talk. They gave me a pen and paper to write with. Having only three digits is really hard when writing but I managed then. I told him about the man and what he did and how he attacked me and me shooting him, while leaving out very important details.

"So he ran off into the forest, and you said you were able to injure him. He may still be there! You two come with me!" He called out to two other officers but I grabbed him. "What?"

I grabbed the pen and paper and wrote for him to let me come along.

"No it is too dangerous," But I just kept shaking my head at him and did a fierce growl to let him know he meant business. "Rh-Alright fine! Come on then!" We then ran into the forest and it did not take us long to find a blood trail. Once we did follow it we found the guy laying against a tree with blood coming from his midsection. He took notice of us and looked me dead in the eye with a smirk on his face.

"Heh y-you bastard, you shot my damn guts out!" He said smiling. I just glared at him with pure rage and started growling. The officer next to me notice and started speaking.

"Are you the one who did the attack back there?" He asked. The man smirked.

"Hell yeah it was me, it was all me," He said proudly. I was about to get even angrier but he continued. "But that isn't all," He said before he started to laugh.

"What do you mean?" The officer said. The man looked me in the eye.

"Not only did I take your brother and parents, but I got everyone!" He continued to laugh. My eyes widened and I said "What?" in my new language that the others heard as growls.

"You heard me, not only did I get them, I got your grandparents, your aunts, your uncles, your cousins. Everyone you knew and that was on your family tree, gone!" He then continued to laugh. I started shaking my head and my mind was in turmoil, everyone? He killed everyone?

The officer beside me was not having it, "You are lying!" He screamed.

"Am I? Morice and Lana Shidel. Conrad and Paula Shidel. Ren and Lora Shidel. Should I continue?" That was both of my sets of grandparents and my aunt and uncle. "Go ahead, see if their houses are still standing," I just fell to my knees again. I felt nothing, I felt like I just wanted to sit there for eternity.

The officer put his hand on my shoulder and then walked over to the man. "Those wounds, you are not going to survive this,"

"What was your first clue?" The man remarked. The officer then walked over to me and pulled out his gun. He then held it up to me. I looked at him in confusion, he could get in major trouble for this.

"I will suffer the consequences, you deserve this," He said to me. I then put on a serious look and took the gun from him and walked over to the man.

He looked at me with a smirk, "You don't have the balls!" He said. In return I looked at the gun and realized it was a glock with a full auto. I held the gun to where he could see the auto button and I flipped it on. His face turned to shock when I did that.

I then took no time unloading the clip on full auto. Once I got that done he had twelve new holes from the bottom of his chest to his head. I then handed the officer back his gun and said thanks you in my language. He seemed to understand and nod his head.

The next day was the funeral. They let me stay at the police station that night because of my house being gone. I need to be careful though because using the disguise tired me out. I also can't disguise myself in my sleep so I had to hide myself in the room while I slept. Turns out the man wasn't kidding, the officers went to all of their houses and they were gone. I was at a funeral that was really multiple funerals. I cried, and the officers felt for me and supported me thankfully. After I left the police station they gave me my last possessions, my sword, a family photo, and my father's cross necklace.

They really did get everyone, so when the next day came and I was given insurance money they set me up with a great big bank account. From all the wills I came in with about fifty thousand dollars. I told them to immediately set me up a bank account in my name. They did so and even taught me how, my parents were going to teach me once I got a job but, that ship had sailed.

First off I needed a place to live, but I didn't want to spend all of my money, I wanted somewhere cheap but there was just nowhere I could find. These problems could not even compare to the biggest one. My disguise is very hard to use, and I can only use it for a couple of hours, and if I needed to leave my house without my disguise, too risky.

Then I had an idea. I went out to a forest that was close by the school and did some exploring. Then I finally found a cave. It was a very sturdy and very roomy cave, perfect! After using my new spikes to make cuts in the trees to know my path I went to the clothing store. After searching around I was starting to get light-headed from my disguise use. I found clothing but none could fit me anymore. Then I found a large, black overcoat with a hood. After trying it on I turned off the parts of the disguises I didn't need and I felt immediately better! This could help me get a good house, but I think I would feel safer at the cave because then I wouldn't have an address, which means that group can't locate me stealthily.

I purchased the coat and got some spray paint. I wanted this coat to not just be pure black. I got some paper and cut outs and made some blue fire designs on the coat and got a new blue flame zipper for extra detail. Once I got that finished I headed over to home depot, I needed appliances. I got all the things you would need bought and got a gas generator. That is a lot cheaper than buying electricity. I thought about restroom and cleaning needs but I think there is a park nearby with a bathroom and there is a freshwater spring in that park too! Well there is no rules against animals going in it!

Then after I got the appliances delivered I went to Walmart to get furniture. Once I got that done, got everything back to the cave, and set up my cave it was already night. I had bought a new phone with wifi generator as well. I had everything set up and everything placed. I took off my coat and hung it up on a rack I bought. I then set the alarm on my phone for five o'clock in the morning, and got ready for bed. I did have school in the morning after all.


	6. Chapter 6 Stick Together

-That is what happened,- Xeta finished. He then looked at his fire pit and saw that the deer meat he cooked was finished. He took a pair of tongs with his paws and picked up one and put it on a plate. He then handed it to me as I sat next to him by the fire pit.

"Xeta…. Why did you not tell me about this?" I asked somberly as he got his plate ready and took his first bite.

One he swallowed he continued, -How could I?- He asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

-If I showed you…. The day I came back… What would have been your reaction?- He asked.

"Easy question! I would have been there for you and helped you!" I yelled.

He paused before continuing, -But could have guaranteed that?-

"What?" I asked.

-Eat first, I have to do a couple of things, then we will talk again,- He got up and started setting up stuff in the cave. Filling up his gas generator, getting his coat cleaned, and amongst other things. As I ate I watched him move. It was interesting, he was able to walk on his back legs even though he was a canine. The way his legs were shaped he should not have even been able to walk on them like that. Maybe he was using a trick or something?

He was also still wearing his cross necklace. When he showed me what he was I had realized it was him who saved me last night. It was shocking, to say the least. But not only did I find it shocking, I found it extremely sweet. He must have followed me to make sure I had stayed safe walking home. I guess this does prove he still cares about me.

But then as I looked at him I realized something very important. Everything on his body was changed, EVERYTHING. He was virtually an animal, close to a wolf. This meant, this meant we could never be together, it was impossible now. If it was possible before it is not anymore. There was no way for us to be together, the one person that I said I loved, the one person I committed to! It is all moot now.

He came back after he finished and sat down. -I can tell something is bothering you,-

"Wait what?" I asked confused.

-Ever since I became this I have been able to read emotions, from you and everyone. So it is very easy for me to tell if something is troubling you,- He said.

I decided to fess up, "We….IT IS JUST NOT FAIR!" I screamed dropping the plate, "WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR SO LONG! I WAS FINNALY ABLE TO CONFESS TO YOU! I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO SAY THAT I WAS GOING TO STAY WITH YOU AND BE WITH YOU! BUT NOW…*HIC* NOW WE CAN'T! BECAUSE NOW YOU ARE A GOD DAMN ANIMAL!" I had been crying but when I said the last part I gasped and put my hand over my mouth. He just stared at me with saddened expression. But he simply walked to the plate I dropped and went over to put it in his homemade sink. I had just stood there in complete shock. I was in complete suspense waiting for something to come out of his muzzle.

He then walked back to the fire pit and sat down, -That is the exact reason I was trying to say goodbye,-

"But…..Y-you," I started.

-That is also the reason why I gave you that dream, and my necklace,- My eyes opened in shock.

"That was you? You caused the dream, and gave me the necklace?" I asked while sitting down.

-Yes, I did…..Funny thing is, that was going to be the last time you were going to see me was in that dream,- He explained.

"What, what do you mean!?" I asked confused.

-That necklace was going to be my final memento to you. Once I had given you that I was going to move on, probably head to Florida, so I could live near the beach,- He explained with a smile.

I was still confused though, "W-what stopped you?" I asked.

He then looked at me with a smile on his muzzle, -When you woke up that morning I was on the roof. Instead of just being like "how did I get this necklace," your first thought was to return it to me. I don't know why, but that thought left a feeling of foreboding that if I did not stay, you would have done something I could never forgive myself for causing,- He explained.

"You stayed, for me… and you rescued me… and you protected me…. And y-you….. you said you loved me as well, and said you wanted to live your life with…" I didn't say another word. I just ran up and hugged him with all of my might.

"YOU DON'T DESERVE THIS! I AM SO SORRY! I AM SO SORRY!" I was crying again but I didn't care. But then I felt something land on my shoulder. He was crying too, and he was returning the hug as well.

-They are gone….. I am alone! And the only one I had left I can not even be with!- He said sadly.

I had just realized that, he had no one left. There was nothing I could do to bring them back or mend his pain. But there was something I could do.

"Xeta?" I said while ending the hug.

He wiped the tears from his eyes, -Yeah?- He said looking up.

"I know we can't be together, but even then that does not mean I will let you be alone. No matter how hard it gets, no matter what happens, I will always be here for you. I am all you have left, what kind of person would that make me if I leave you now. It is settled, I will be here for you for as long as I live, that is a promise!" After I said that he gave me a kind smile.

-I will do the same for you!- He said.

I wanted to lighten the mood a little bit, "Hey you know what I just realized?"

-What?- He asked.

"You are actually naked!" I said laughing.

-W-WAIT WH-WHAT N-N-NO I DIDN'T!- He then was cut off as I burst at laughing. He then started snickering and joined in.

Once we finished our laughing fit he then looked over to where I spilled my plate. -Tell you what! Screw eating deer! Let us go out to eat!-

"Oh! Sure! But uh, what are we going to ride in?" He then gave me a big grin, put on his coat, put his sword in it, then he ran back to me, picked me up and ran through the forest like we did last night! But this time it was a lot more fun now that my life wasn't in danger. Once we got close to the town he put me down and said we should walk as he got into his disguise.

But I did have a question, "So do you carry that sword around everywhere?"

-I don't leave without it, I even have it at school!- He explained.

"WHAT!? But why?" I asked.

-Listen besides hunting I have another problem. The guy from that night said we will get you! Which means there are more besides him, so I have to make sure I am protected, and make sure I can protect those around me,- He said while taking my hand in his disguised paw.

"I see, so you are watching out for everyone, like a guardian angel!" I said.

-I guess, but if anyone saw me they would probably think I am a demon,- He said.

"Well at least you are my guardian angel! Come on!" I said grabbing him and us walking into town. As we walked we debated on where to go eat while we got a few stares from people probably wondering why I was having a one sided conversation. We had finally settled on a sushi buffet. We sat at one of the booths and he said he would wait for me to get my food. I got mine and came back to our table when he then got up to go get his.

Once he was gone I got a phone call. When I checked the caller id it was my mom.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Where are you!? I was waiting at the car ramp for an hour! Then you ignore my calls!" Oh man, I forgot I just ditched my parents to follow Xeta.

"Look my friend needed help! They have gone through tough times, they lost their parents and brother so I wanted to try and help them out!" I explained.

"Gr, well you at least should have told us!" She said faking concern.

"Look I am staying with them tonight to help them through this, so please just calm down," I said.

"Oh alright, just don't come home early like you did yesterday!" She said.

"I won't!" I then hung up. I didn't have a very good relationship with my parents. They always act like they are caring and want what's best for me but all they really want is me to run their family business. How do I know!? I have heard them talk about it on multiple occasions, how I will always be useless until I lead the job, how they always belittle me when I am creative, they don't care about me, just their business.

I looked up and noticed Xeta had come back with all sorts of sushi. He had ones that had these different sauces on them, I had never tried them before because they didn't look appealing.

Once we started eating I had to ask, "Are those good?" I asked innocently.

-These? They are the best!- He said holding one of the ones with sauce.

"May I try?" I asked.

-Sure!- He then handed me one an I gave it a try. It had spice to it but it was so, so good!

"This is great!" I said out loud.

-Isn't it? But it is even better with wasabi soy!- He said.

"Wasabi soy? I have never tried it before!" The night was great. I got to try all of these new ways you could eat sushi. I was never really a fan of the other types, I really only liked the California rolls, but thanks to Xeta I have a new favorite place to eat!

As we were walking we checked out a few shops. He looked through a game store, which I must admit had some pretty cool stuff in it, and I checked out a clothing store which he actually went in with me. Funny thing is that it was a bath and body works. He actually told me he was okay with this shop because his mom would take him in to one as well.

After shopping I had to ask, "Hey Xeta?"

-Yeah?- He asked.

"Is it okay if I stay with you tonight?" I asked.

-Um, sure I mean if you are okay with it?- He said.

"It's completely fine, but I hope I won't be a nuisance," I said.

-I have only one bed but I don't mind if you use it!- He said.  
"Wait! Only one, I can't do that!" I said.

-Nonsense, I have no problem with it, I can make a pallet, and my fur and jacket keep me warm anyway, so don't worry about it!- He insisted.

"Oh, okay! Thanks Xeta," I said.

-No problem, least I could do,- We then headed back to the forest where his cave is and he carried me like we did before. He stopped by the cave, dropped his disguise and took off his jacket.

-Oh, I am sorry would you like me to keep it on?- He asked concerned.

"What!? No, Xeta I only care about you, not how you look, I don't want to hide what you are from me, not if you don't have to, so please stay like that, it is what you are now, don't hide it from me," I said.

His face showed shock when I said that, but quickly turned to happiness, -Thanks, listen I will be back!- He went to one of his nightstands and grabbed a bottle of body wash or shampoo.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

-Get cleaned up!- He said grabbing a towel.

"Where though?" I asked.

-There is a freshwater spring with a waterfall nearby! No fish live in it so I use it to get cleaned up!- He said.

"Wait! You mean the one in the nature reserve park, people aren't allowed there!" I said.

-You are right people are not allowed, but nobody said anything about an animal!- He smirked.  
I gave a chuckle, "Heh, guess you are right,"

Before he headed off he turned to me, -OH! Right I set my phone set up to give out Wi-Fi, you can use your phone or the TV to watch Netflix or whatever! Go right on ahead I don't mind kay!- He then took off.

"OKAY!" I yelled out. I then turned on his TV which turned out to be a smart TV. I went through his local listings and found some shows he had watched. Some show called Red Vs Blue, another called Naruto, and then the last one which seemed most interesting, Attack on Titan. The premise seemed cool so I decided to check out what it was all about. Which was a very poor decision. Within five episodes I was in tears, the whole show was just tragic, that is the most I can say. I gave the Naruto show a try which was pretty cool. It was actually funny in some areas.

By the time I was done with episode three Xeta had come back. -Hey I am back!- I immediately started laughing, he looked like a fluffy sheep with his fur like that.

-What?! What is so funny!?- He asked.

"Y-your f-fur it's pff-BWAHAHAHAHA!" I just kept on laughing my ass off. He picked up his phone to look at himself and he ended up laughing as well. This was the second time I had seen him laugh like this in a week, the other time being earlier today. It was very reassuring to see if you asked me. After we calmed down he turned to look at the screen.

-OH! You got into Naruto?- He asked.

"Yeah it is actually pretty cool!" I said.

-Oh it gets better, trust me!- He then sat down to watch it with me. We had sat there for a while before he asked me.

-OH MY GOD! I completely forgot to ask how is your singing coming along?!- He asked.

"Oh! It is…well…. I guess it is going good," I said humbly.

-I had forgotten to ask with all the crap I went through! Come on I want to hear you sing, it will be good practice for the talent show! You are practicing that one song I showed you right?!- He asked.

"Yeah, Lost in Thoughts All Alone, you sure?" I asked nervous.

-Yes please!- He insisted.

"Okay!" I then got ready. {You are the ocean's gray waves, des-tined to seek, life beyond the shore just out of reach. Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time the path is yours to climb,} I then stopped with my cheeks red.

He started clapping though, -That was incredible! I really cannot wait for you to perform on stage!-

"Was it really that good?" I asked humbly.

-Of course! You could be the actual singer if you really wanted to!- He said.

"T-thanks," I said.

Xeta then walked over to his phone, -Wow it is already eleven. Might want to get some sleep, I set my alarm for five!-

"What?! Why five!?" I asked.

-So I have time to relax in the morning!- He said.

"Oh, okay then!" I said.

-What time would you want me to get you up?- He asked.  
"Seven please," I replied.

-You got it! Alright let me get you set up!- He walked over to his bed and got everything ready for me. He then set up a blanket and pillow on the floor for him to sleep on.

"What about your blanket?" I asked concerned.

-Don't worry, I have my jacket! It is actually very comfortable,- He said while putting his sword on his stand for it.

"Oh, okay then, thank you!" I said.

-No problem! You get some rest, I will have breakfast made in the morning okay!- He said.

"Okay then good night," I said.

-Night!- He said. I then saw him walk over to the picture of his family. He seemed to just stare at it, maybe he was praying. He then walked over to his pallet and laid down. It was pretty funny because when he fidgeted to get comfortable his tail was doing the same. It was really hard not to laugh. I then followed his lead and laid myself down to get some rest for the next day.


	7. Chapter 7 The World He Saw

Once I had fallen asleep I still felt bad that Xeta had to sleep on a pallet. It was his home, so I felt really bad that he kept pampering me. Taking me out to eat, letting me stay here, and all of that. But he insisted, even though I still felt bad though.

I was able to eventually go to sleep though. I had a great sleep, without any interruptions. When I woke up it was still dark. The only light visible was the small remains from the fire he made the previous night. I saw that Xeta was nowhere to be seen though. His phone was making a small light from the floor. I went over to it and saw that he had an alarm set for seven o'clock. I checked the time on the phone and saw it was six thirty. Seems like I woke up early. I wanted to get cleaned up for school but I couldn't use water or brush my hair effectively without the stuff, and I didn't want to go rummaging through Xeta's stuff but I really had no choice. I started rummaging through the few drawers in his cave and was really shocked. In one of his drawers was just a bunch of photos of different people. I picked up one and looked at it. When I turned it around my eyes widened.

On the back was a name, with the last name being Shidel, and it had years going from one to another! I picked up another, it was the same. I was so confused as to why these photos where in here. Then it dawned on me, these were his family members, every single one of them! From children, to adults, to elders, they were all there. He must have gotten these when he was at the police station, this was all he had left of his family.

I then looked over to his family photo and gave it a major look. I noticed some cuts in the photo through the glass so I opened it up. It was three individual photos stuck together. Two of them were the photos of his parents, one was a burned picture of his brother, and the last one was him now, in his disguise with the red eyes, putting on a noticeably fake smile.

I just looked at it in sadness, he really has lost everything, and now most of what he has now is just fabricated, his home, his family photo, and even his identity. He was all alone now, these pictures are lies, this is not the photo of a happy, together family, but a destroyed and broken one. I swear, if I find the people who did this to him I will make them pay!

I then put the photos back into their holder and just as I finished I heard footsteps coming from the entrance of the cave. I was about to say something but what was at the entrance made my mouth shut. It was Xeta, he wasn't wearing his coat, and he had been covered in blood while carrying the carcass of a deer. The sight made me flinch in horror. He seemed to not take notice of me and sat down the carcass of the deer in the corner of the room. I was still in a state of shock just watching him, it reminded me of the time I saw him attack that other deer, and when he attacked the three men. Then he turned around.

He took one look at me and his eyes went wide. I saw him look at me, look down at himself, then his paws, then back to the deer, and then to me once more. I still just stood there with the same shocked expression.

His muzzle then changed to one of sorrow and shame, -I know it's bloody, I know it isn't pretty, but this is how I live now,- He then walked over to the pallet and sat down, -Go, if you want to leave I wont judge you,- His words shocked me even more than the blood ever could.

"Why would I leave?" I asked innocently.

-Are you seriously asking that question? You said it yourself, I am nothing but a goddamn animal,- He said.

"WAIT! You know I didn't mean that, a..and I wont leave or judge you for this, there is nothing different from what you are doing than any other hunter would do!" I said.

-Didn't you tell me once you hated hunters?- He asked without looking at me.

"W-well, yes but…it's different now, instead of just hunting for sport you are hunting to eat," I explained.

-I guess so, but I can still sense that you are terrified of me,- Xeta said. I was about to say no but I remembered he could read emotions.

"Well…. I wouldn't say scared of you but the situation. I mean as you said those people could still be after you, that is one. Two, as humans we're scared of things that are alien and new, this is all a lot to take in Xeta, you understand right?" I asked.

-Yeah, I get it, your afraid, I am too…..thank you,- He said.

"For what?" I asked.

-The truth, and for sticking with me through this, I think you were the only thing really keeping me going y'know?- He asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," I said. "Hey Xeta? I want to get my hair and stuff done, you got somewhere I can do that?" I asked.

-Yeah, I sometimes go to the bathroom at the park that is nearby,- He said.

"Isn't it really gross?" I asked.

-Not anymore! Yours truly cleaned it up!- He exclaimed.

"OH! Neat!" I said.

-But you will have to wait a minute, I will get myself cleaned off and then come back!- He said.

"Wait! What about the deer?" I asked.

-Oh, when I drop you off I will come back here, do what I need to do, then I will come back to get you so we can head to school!- He said with a smile.

"O-Okay!" I said.

He ran off out the entrance and I went back to getting my things done. Getting my clothes looking nice and all that. When Xeta got back he actually had a surprise for me.

-Hey! So I didn't really have anything here for you to use so I got you a comb and some hairspray so you can fix up your hair!- He said while handing the bag with the stuff to me.

"You really didn't have to do that for me! I don't want you to feel like I am using you," I said sadly.

-You are kidding right, you are the first person I have really been able to talk to since this all started! I have to repay you somehow!- He said.

"But, I didn't do anything," I said.

-See that is the thing, that is the reason I want to do this for you, you didn't do anything, others would have run, but you didn't!- He said with a smile. He then told me to come on so I would have time to get ready. We got to the restroom he was talking about. It was a unisex restroom and when he opened it up I saw he wasn't lying. It wasn't dirty, there were no bugs, and the walls were actually shiny!

-No one was really using it but the town still has to pay for the water, so I GET FREE PLUMMING!- He cheered.

"You weren't kidding, how did you clean it up like this?" I asked.

-Well you already know how fast I am while running, I am able to go faster than most things, hell I think I could outrun a cheetah, maybe by only a mile or so but still, probably the fastest hunter out there now!- He exclaimed.

"I guess so, I am gonna get ready okay?" I asked.

-Gotcha!- He said. I then shut the door. I cleaned up my hair, got it styled and all that. But then I realized I was missing something.

-Hey! There are a few toothbrushes on the counter there, the blue one is mine!- I heard Xeta say in my head. I grabbed the red toothbrush and started brushing my teeth. Once I did that I used the restroom and I went to the door. I exited the bathroom and saw that Xeta had already left to go do stuff at the cave. I waited for about a good five minutes before he came back and said he had to use the restroom. He entered and I waited for him outside.

Then it dawned on me, how does he use the restroom?

He then exited after doing everything and I asked, "Hey Xeta, how do you use the restroom? I know that sounds stupid but I mean, with the new body and such isn't it kind of… you know…" I couldn't continue.

-Just know it took a lot of practice!- He said kind of awkwardly. I dropped that conversation as fast as it started. He then looked at his phone to check the time.

-Oh hey, we roughly have a good thirty minutes before school starts, wanna grab a bite from somewhere?- He asked.

"Uh, sure but where?" I asked.

-Chick-Fil-A!- He exclaimed. He picked me up and he ran at full speed until we hit the town. We got there about three minutes later. He then walked to the local Chick-Fil-A to get us something to eat. He said I would have to order for obvious reasons and he said he wanted some coca-cola and some chicken minis. I actually wanted the same just I would rather have some orange juice with mine. Once we got inside he sent me a message saying he would get us a table.

Once it was my turn at the counter I recognized the person who was taking orders. It was my friend Jackie! She had short, brown hair with red highlights and short bangs. She wore really big circular glasses and had green eyes.

She then took notice of me, "OH! Elizabeth! I didn't expect to see you here!" She said in her kind, high-pitched voice.

"Hey Jackie, yeah I wanted to get something to eat before I headed to school, and I see work based learning is still giving you wonders!" I replied.

"You know it! Sooooo, I saw you enter in with Xeta," She said mischievously.

"Yeah, he let me stay at his place!" I said a little nervous.

"OH HE DID! So did yo-"

"NO! No he just let me stay over there, even took me out to dinner last night!" I blurted out.

"Teehee, I was only playing Elizabeth, you don't have to get so worked up, anyway do your parents know you were alone with a boy last night?" She asked.

"You know that really isn't funny on multiple levels, he lost his family Jackie!" I said seriously.

She cringed at that, "Ah shit, I forgot, I am so sorry. Anyway enough of my rambling, what would you like to order?" I gave her my order and went to sit down with Xeta.

-So what was that about, make sure to whisper okay?- He instructed.

"It was my friend, I told her we were together last night and she took it way too literal," I replied quietly.

-Ah, let her have some fun, she really isn't doing any harm though,- He said.

"Yeah I guess, but still it is kind of insensitive for her to say alone with you, because literally we were, you don't live with anyone anymore," I said.

-Yeah I guess, but people try to make light of bad situations, that is how it has always been, you don't want to remind someone of tragedy, you want to try to get it off their chest,- He said.

"Yeah, I guess you are right," In no time at all our food was here and I said thank you while Xeta just nodded. I think the person that brought out our food was a little pissed that Xeta didn't say thank you but I think he realized when his eyes widened looking at Xeta's disguised neck.

As we ate Xeta just sat there quietly, but then he sent me a message, -Hey, did I ever tell you where my name comes from?- He said.

"That is a little odd, what is this about?" I asked.

-I don't know, just feeling a little reminiscent,- He said.

"Well no you haven't," I said.

-Well this is how I got my name, as you know I was my mom and dad's first child. They were both around twenty or so when my mom became pregnant with me. They had planned out everything for me to come into this world, checking what sex I was and getting toys for me, all that good stuff. They apparently were so excited to meet their son, always talking about me to people they know and bragging about how great everything would be. Hell they did it so much people started finding them extremely annoying. I always found that funny to me. Anyway later on down the line they started getting signs that I would be coming soon. Then that day finally came. My mother had gone into labor and my father had gotten her into the car and ready to go! He drove about half the distance they needed before tragedy struck, the car broke down. My parents thought they would still be able to get the pregnancy over with even thought they weren't at the hospital. There were other people around to help them but then another problem showed its ugly head. I wasn't coming out, they were going to have to do a C-section or I would die. Thankfully some kind-hearted military man offered to drive them to the hospital after all the selfish bastards who were there couldn't. They made it just in time and got me out. I was then handed over to my mom and apparently as they described they made the biggest smiles they ever made in their lives. Coolest thing too is that the military guy was able to come in and see me too, since he helped save me and all. When he came in and saw me he asked a simple question, "What's his name?" Wanna hear the funniest thing, my parents forgot to come up with a name! After all that planning, after all the preparation, they forgot to come up with a name! How ironic is that!?- Xeta then started giving off this laugh that sounded kind of like growling. I joined in on the laughter as well because in truth it was kind of funny.  
-Anyway, they had not thought of a name for me, and they were having trouble deciding, then they thought of something. They asked the soldier what his name was. His name was Theodore, and my parents immediately turned down that option. But then they noticed something on the tag where his name was. Apparently it was a codename. His whole squad apparently all had code names and they immediately fell in love with the name.- He said.

"It was Xeta! Wasn't it!?" I exclaimed.

-Yes it was, my parents thought it was fitting, since he was the one who saved me, and I actually agree with that!- He happily said.

"Oh where is Theodore now?" I asked.

-He…he is no longer with us, he died during the Afghanistan war, apparently saving one of his friends,- He said sadly.

"Oh, I am sorry," I said.

He shook his head, -Don't be, I respect him, he put others lives above his own, that shows value in a person!-

"Heh, I guess you are right, stuck with that attitude till the end huh?" I asked.

-I guess so!- He said. We then continued to eat our food just enjoying ourselves as we ate. I saw Xeta take out his phone and check the time.

-Seven thirty, we got about fifteen minutes to get to school,- He said.

"Okay, hey say I forgot! I want your number so I can speak to you!" I said.

-Well I mean sure we can text but, I wont be able to speak,- He said.

I stopped what I was doing, "Does everything just gotta be so god-damn difficult?" I asked to no one in particular.

Xeta gave me a smile, -Life ain't fun if it is easy now, right?- He said.

I then handed him my phone with a smile, "Yeah, I guess you are!" We traded contacts and got ourselves ready to head out after we ate. He led me to the forest again, apparently people would ask questions if they saw a boy in a black coat carrying around a woman at full speed, so yeah forest it was! He carried me at full speed until we made it to the forest near the school, with seven minutes to spare!

"Xeta, you sure know these forests well huh?" I asked.

-It is where I live now, I have to know them well, if I didn't would get lost!- He said.

"Have you gotten lost before?" I asked.

-You kidding!? I spent an entire night a few days ago just trying to figure out where my cave was! This place is like a maze! If you don't know where you are going you will get lost!- He said.

"So you're used to it now?" I asked.

-Pretty much, with my speed it makes it easier and I have thoroughly searched this forest, I still get sidetracked sometimes but that is an easy fix!- We then walked up to the school and we headed to our first period together.

We sat down at our normal seat and waited for the class to start. I think I will enjoy school a lot more now that I have Xeta back, the real Xeta!


	8. Chapter 8 Complications

Xeta:

Once I had finished first period with Elizabeth we headed on to second. Same stuff, worked together and finished with enough time to just talk. The way we talked now was I would pretend to write something and show her when I used telepathy. It was so odd talking with your thoughts, not moving your mouth while the words are there is very annoying. So to make up for it when I use telepathy I move my mouth the way it would move when I would say the word. It makes it to where I feel like I am talking without the annoyance of not moving my mouth, it actually makes my head hurt sometimes.

Something kept bugging me though, me being able to use telepathy was as simple as breathing, in fact everything I did in this body was simple, once I changed I had full control. I already had the knowledge to do certain things such as the disguise and telepathy, but I never had used it before. The information was just there, and there are also things I can still learn how to do, I can feel it. Once I changed the information on how to work the body was given to me, how to use aura vision, how to disguise myself, how to use telepathy, and how to form a blue staff in the shape of a bone. I haven't learned much past that, but every time I practice I seem to get even faster when I move. Running faster, jumping higher, and more!

Elizabeth had brought this up and I told her the same information. She was confused about why I was already able to do all of this but she had a theory.

"What if the people who did this to you had it made to where you would already know!?" She exclaimed quietly.

My eyes widened at that response, -T-that could be it! The guy was planning on taking me, so maybe they wanted me to already have the information,- I said to her.

"You can't teach something you don't know how to teach, so give it the info so it can learn itself!" She exclaimed.

-You have a point, but why? What good could come from doing this?- I asked.

"I don't know, I just don't know," She replied. She was right, we didn't know. Who, what, when, where, and why…..not one of these questions could be answered. We talked for a little longer, she said she would head back to her house today, which I was okay with, she knows, and I am glad she knows. Later on during lunch we just talked as usual, nothing important, just stupid teenager things.

Next were the classes I had without her. They were nothing special, still the same as always. By the end of the day I wasn't really expecting much, but I found myself surprised when Bruce was here to see me.

"Helloooo!" He said dragging out the O.

I simply gave him a wave as a reply.

"So what's been going on man, we haven't really been talking much…oh wait, my bad!" He exclaimed.

I just shook my head at him to tell him I was fine. I started walking by when he stopped me.

"Hey man, you want to hang out or something? I mean, you seem a little on edge, and that outburst you and Elizabeth had the other day, I think you could use the company," He said.

I thought about it because I do live in a cave now, but I just nodded at him to tell him sure, he might ask questions about a cave, but I can trust him, he is a good friend, always has been!

"ALRIGHT! So! Where we headed?" He asked. I just gave a motion with my disguised paw to tell him towards the woods. He seemed confused but thankfully did go along with it. As we walked the path I usually take to get to the cave he started laughing.

"HAHA! What? Is this a shortcut or do you live in a cave?" He asked. I just looked back and nodded at him. His face went to one of confusion, "Wait…what? Look stop playing with me, where do you actually live, an apartment? House?" I just shook my head at him.

I saw him not very amused, "Dude, quit playing, you do not live in a cave," He said. I just nodded.

He sighed. "Okay, fine whatever, lets just get to this place!" He then started following me again. He seemed agitated but he would shut up when we get there, which he should be happy, still have a game system there. We continued to walk but what was up ahead stopped me in my tracks.

Bruce noticed, "Hey wha-" I quickly put my disguised paw over his mouth and got us both behind a tree. I poked my muzzle out to see four people in black tactical suits holding what appeared to be P90's. Below them slumped on a tree was a hunter I had seen out here a couple of times on my hunt, he had been lit up like a firecracker and his tactical bow was right beside him.

One of the tactical members started speaking, "Are you sure we are in the right place, this guy didn't even know about a blue dog!" He said.

"Oh it's here, trust me people have said they have seen sightings of it in the local parks, that thing is here, we are gonna get back out prize!" The female one said.

"Whatever you say, they could have been on drugs you know, down here in the south," Replied the other.

"You are one to talk, you said there were all sorts of drugs where you come from, and you sure as hell didn't grow up in the south," Said one of the other guys.

"All of you shut up, the man he took out was one of our top guys, but I guess the bastard got too cocky, if you all start you will end up just like him so shut up!" Said the fourth. The fourth guy started working on his phone or whatever that was again.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Whispered Bruce. I didn't know what to do or say, those weren't fake guns, the dead hunter is a sign to take from that. We were on thin ice, I had no choice. I opened up my jacket and pulled out my sword. When Bruce saw it his eyes grew even more terrified.

-I am only going to say this once, follow the path to the left, there is a cave there, there is food, drink and all of that. You stay there until tomorrow, get to school, and then go home, if I don't come back by today I am dead, don't come looking, understand?- I asked. His eyes were just wide in confusion, probably from a lot of things. -I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND!? NOD IF YOU DO!- He then repeatedly nodded his head.

-Alright, when I give a signal you run, you will know the signal okay?- He then again nodded. I then took my time to jump up into the tree next to us and start moving through them. I turned off my disguise and got into a position that I thought was right and then threw my sword at the ground next to the four killers. They all looked at it which is what I was expecting.

One thing was I was not going to use my aura abilities. If I did people will wonder how those kind of wounds happened. No, I had to make it seem like it was self-defense from a human. As their backs were turned to the sword I jumped behind them and picked up the bow from the hunter and jumped back into the tree. They heard the noise and turned around.

"What the hell!? Where did the bow go!?" They all formed a perimeter around their area and got ready. But what they didn't know was that I was in the trees. I had never fired a bow before but this was my best bet as to win. I got the bow ready, first time firing one of these, so I better get good at this now.

I had five arrows so I was going to use them as sparingly as possible. I loaded one of the arrows and pulled back on the line. I got the sight lined up on one of the killers down there. But there was one thing I had to do, for Bruce to get away I would have to distract them, what better way then to do this.

-GET THE F#$% OUT OF HERE!- I screamed to Bruce and screamed with a howl from my muzzle. As they turned Bruce took off running and I let off an arrow that dug itself into one of the soldier's head. I then jumped from the tree and got another arrow ready. I fired but of course with me just starting I missed my target and they started firing at me. The guns were really quiet, must have used silencers. I kept moving as best I could until I got behind another tree. I got another arrow ready and as soon as I heard the bullets start firing I swung out and fired. The arrow dug itself into one of the soldiers stomachs, but he wasn't finished yet.

All three of them tried to fire at me but I jumped up in the air spinning to make sure to dodge bullets. As I came down I took one my arrows and jabbed it into one of the killers shoulders. The one on the ground tried to fire so I kicked them to where they rolled away. The one I had left alone fired and hit me right in the shoulder. Being shot for the first time was really lackluster for what that man from the other night did, but I was still pissed as hell!

As the bullet knocked me onto my back I used the momentum to get back onto my paws. I ran up and swung by my sword. I grabbed it and threw it at an angle to where he had no choice but to dodge. Once he did I ran up and used one of the arrows to slice his stomach. I then quickly swung around and used the same arrow to fire it right into the mans head. One arrow left.

Then man who had an arrow in his shoulder was still hurt but was gaining his bearings. I decided against using the arrow I had and ran up as fast as I could. He started firing but I dodged just in time. I pushed the gun away and before he could aim again I ripped the arrow right out of his shoulder. As he screamed I jumped towards him and rammed the arrow right into his forehead. He fell to the ground beneath my paws and gave a final breath. The last one who seemed to be the female tried to reach for her gun but I quickly kicked her gun away and kicked her into a tree. I then had the bow ready just incase she tried something.

She took off her mask and glared at me, "You mutt, you really have gone and put us in a real mess haven't you? Nothing but trouble is what you are, why don't you just be a good dog?"

I looked down at her with scorn, -What the hell is wrong with you people, haven't you not already done enough to me? Can't you just leave me alone?- I asked in a low voice.

"Ha! Leave you alone? Sorry but we don't exact just leave one of the most important parts of are work "Alone," as you say. See you are supposed to be a weapon, a tool used for combat, that is what you are and what you will be, no exception," She screamed. "Just take a look around! This here proves it!" I did as she said and looked at the three bodies I left in my rage.

-What is the difference?- I asked.

"W…What?" She questioned.

-If I'm supposed to be a weapon or a tool then how does that make me any different from you? When you think about it you are just as much a tool just as I was supposed to be, only difference being is I got out, and you didn't, nobody controls my life, I live how I want and for who I want. Being "this" doesn't change any of that, but it seems even you don't have to change to be weak, you got brought into this yourself and for what, what did you expect to get out of this? Money? Power? What?- She started glaring at me.

"Shut up, you are a dog, you don't get to question those things!" She said.

-Ah! You see though, even there you are wrong, it doesn't matter if you are human, cat, dog, mouse, or what I am now, all creatures have a right to freedom, the question is if they use it,- I said.

"Shut up!" She repeated.

-And you and your entire group here are proof, you probably had a choice to join them, you probably knew what they were and still chose to do it, and you know what, I made a choice as well, I chose to not let you kill me or take me away, that was my goal, and that is how I will live,- I said.

She then looked at me with hatred, "NO! YOU! ARE! A! DOG! A CREATURE WE MADE! A CREATURE WHO IS A NATURAL BORN KILLER, MADE ONLY TO SERVE US! YOU DON'T GET A CHOICE! YOU DON'T GET OPTIONS! YOU DO NOT GET ANYTHING, YOU ARE ONLY GOOD FOR WHAT WE HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU! YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A CHOICE! AND YOU WILL NEVER HAVE A LIFE! NOT WHILE WE'RE AROUND!" She screamed.

I glared down at her, -Then I guess the same goes for you as well,-

I saw her face contort into one of pure malice and blood lust, she reached behind her faster than I could keep up with and pulled out a pistol. I tried to get the bow ready in time but to no avail. She was able to pull the trigger on me and sent a bullet flying through my waist. The bullet may have went through but I still had the bow ready and let loose the arrow. It shot through her head and lodged itself into the tree her head rested on, she was gone.

The bullet from earlier did not hurt as bad but the one here hurt like hell! I was wondering if she had hit something that shouldn't have been hit. I looked down and saw I was continuously bleeding. This was bad, really bad! I went ahead and checked the woman's body for any medical supplies, even though how wrong it was to do that.

Unfortunately she had nothing on her. I then proceeded to check on the other bodies to see what I could scrounge up. I searched them all and found no medical supplies or anything that could help me. I was running out of options, I may have new strength but I am not immortal, if this gets infected I am royally F#&$ED!

The suits they used seemed like they could be used as bandages. What I did was I grabbed my sword and cut off some of the fabric on one of their suits, then I took off my coat and tied it to where it would wrap around the fabric. It seemed to work, but I still felt weak.

I took the bow back to the corpse of the hunter and left it with him. He deserved better, all he did was hunt the legal stuff, I never saw him break the rules, it is always the good people who are taken from us.

I started to walk down the path that leads to my cave. I was lost in thought though, these people wanted me as a weapon, and the first guy implied that he had done this to others, does that mean they have others they changed and then they are turning them into weapons? Or are they torturing them into being like slaves or tools? I don't know, but for now I needed to get back to m-

"CARIO!" I screamed. The pain from the bullets started taking a toll on me. The pain surged through my body and I fell to my knees. I was starting to lose consciousness. I tried to keep myself from falling over but my legs gave out. Did I lose too much blood? Didn't matter I had to get up and now!

I tried to stand up again but I fell right on to my chest with my chest spike digging itself into the dirt a bit. I tried to get myself up again but I just couldn't do it. My eyes were starting to close shut, but before I completely lost consciousness I saw a figure walking towards me.


	9. Chapter 9 In a Cage

I don't really know how long it had been since I had passed out. When I woke up I felt a few things, dusk sunlight shining in my eyes, which I could only guess it meant this was the same day. Then I noticed I felt pain in my waist and my shoulder, and when I looked they had bandages covering them. Then I took a look around where I was at. I was in a cage.

I was about to panic, I was in a cage! I had been caught! They got me, they actually got me! But then I noticed something. Instead of this being some high-tech key pad cage it was just a simple dog cage, I swear it just had a latch, I could have opened it then and there but refrained, because I heard voices outside of the room I was in.

The door to the room opened and it revealed a woman who looked to be in her thirty's and a girl who looked about ten.

The girl spoke first, "Mom? Are you sure he will be alr-OH!" She took notice of me awake and just sat there as if I was a tamed animal. "HE'S AWAKE!" The little girl screamed.

"SHH! Be quiet! We don't know if he is dangerous Mia! You could startle it!" The woman seriously whispered.

"Sorry!" Mia whispered. They both took a look at me and started to step closer slowly. I didn't want to show anything to them so I just acted calm and just kept watching them while laying down as a dog would. I took a look to the corner to the room and noticed my stuff in the corner of the room, which this room was a type of guest room. So big question, how could I get out of here with my stuff, but without causing a ruckus?

So what I did was just play along with this, act like I was a dog for a little while, I mean they patched me up, so why not?

"So Mia, you said he came to you for help, or did you find him out cold?" The mother said looking at her daughter with a concerned look.

"I-It came to me I swear!" Mia screamed. That girl just lied through her teeth, well I would at least play along for her sake.

"Ooookay!" The mother said. She then opened the cage, "Alright, please come here, please don't bite me," She said scared. I calmly walked up to her on all fours and stood in front of her.

"Alright now, I am going to lay you on your side," She then started to push on my side but I simply laid down for her. "Alright, good, now I am going to check your bandages," She started to look me over and make sure the bandages were secure, "Ah, who could do this to an animal, especially one that is probably endangered, what even are you, I have never seen an animal with claws on it's wrists and chest? The things on the back of your head, and the fur pattern as well?" She then started fidgeting with my tail, "The tail shape is eve-WHOA!" She had touched my tail in a weird way that made me jerk it, and when I did it turned to complete steel, just went from being normal to being like a hard piece of steel, it was so weird, I lifted my head to look at it and the sight amazed me, I am able to do this now?

"What the hell?!" The mother said.

"SO COOL!" Mia said. She ran up to me and took her hand, balled it into a fist, and tapped on my tail, and what do you know it made a sound like what you would hear if you banged on a solid piece of metal.

"Incredible! What kind of animal is able to do this?" She then took a look at my face, "Wait did you not know that could happen?" She said to me. I just didn't reply at all, just stayed perfectly still. I then wanted to try something, I gave my tail a light flick and it quickly reverted back to being my normal tail.

"Wow, this just gets better and better! We should tell somebody!" The mother said. I was about to protest with a growl but Mia beat me to it.

"ARE YOU CRAZY! Mom, he was just shot out there! Think about it, if we told people him and his kind could be hunted down, we can't!" The mother looked at her daughter in shame.

"Ah…Your right, sorry I should think straight, anyway it seems his wounds are okay, so you should now be able to stand now!" I then got up on all four of my paws with my tail veering my backside and with feelers hanging on the sides of my head. Thankfully standing on four paws was just as natural as two so I was alright. "Okay everything seems okay now, looks like he can walk," The mother said.

"OH! CAN WE KEEP HIM?!" Mia asked.

"I don't think so sweetie," The mother said.

"Why not?!" Mia argued.

"Because from the stuff you brought back with him he must belong to someone, so if no one comes we can keep him, but if someone does then we have to give him back," The mother explained.

"Oh, okay…. So when can dinner start?!" Mia asked.

"I will get right on it! Your dad should come home soon, will be a great surprise when he comes home to see dinner already ready!" The mother said.

"Okay! I will stay with Azul!" Mia said. I gave a confused look and so did her mother.

"Azul? Is that what you want to name him?" She asked.

"For now, at least until we find out his real name!" Mia said.

"Huh? I like it!" The mother walked out of the room and Mia ordered me to follow her. I followed her on four paws into the living room where she got on the couch.

She looked down at me, "Come on Azul! I know you can get up here!" So to make her guess correct I jumped up easily up on the couch and laid down.

She thankfully had turned on something fun to watch, family feud! I enjoyed watching the show just because I can prove that I am smarter than most of the people who get picked for the show, and of course Steve Harvey makes it so much better!

So a few minutes into the show we already have some dumb-asses. The question was about which alcoholic beverage would you serve during a party, and one of these idiots said water! WATER! Out of all things, could have said beer, wine, cocktail! But no water!

I actually busted out laughing in my very noticeable growling laugh! Once my laughing fit was over I noticed that Mia was just staring at me like I had two heads. I just looked back at her with a deadpan expression. She was trying to contemplate what I just did but I saw her smile.

"I guess it was pretty funny! Even I know that isn't alcohol!" Mia said. THANK GOD! Nearly blew my cover there, but some animals do laugh, just look at hyenas!

Mia's mother seemed to call her and me apparently into the kitchen. When we got there she set up Mia with a plate at the table…..while she set up a bowl of dog food for me….yeah no. I turned myself around after looking at the food and walked back into the living room.

The mom came into the room and noticed me on the couch looking unsatisfied. She had the bowl in her hand as well. "Come on Azul! This is good food I promise!" She held the bowl up to my nose and the smell just disgusted me. I growled at her so that she would get the food away from me. Thankfully it worked and she backed off. She seemed to notice my disinterest in the food and she walked off into the kitchen where I presume she had given up. I heard water running in the kitchen and I heard someone fidgeting with the counters. She entered back into the room with the same bowl, but this time around instead of having stupid dry food she actually had cooked steak.

"I can't give you much now so don't beg for more!" She then put the bowl on the ground in front of the couch and I got up to meet it. I grabbed a piece with my teeth and she seemed satisfied with that and headed back to the kitchen, once she did I went to using my paws to eat instead of my teeth.

About an hour had passed and I noticed it was seven o'clock. Everything had settled and the family seemed worried about why the dad hadn't come home yet, but my worries were elsewhere, I needed to get out of here and get back to Bruce, but I still had to find a way out of the house. I was walking back to the guest room and as I did I noticed a family photo on one of the tables. I took a good look around to make sure no one was looking and stood up. I looked closely at the photo in front of me and my heart sank!

That hunter, the one from the woods, was the same one that was in the picture. An innocent hunter, just minding his own business, living with his family, killed just because they were after me. These people made me sick, every day the body count grew and grew, and the more it did the more pissed off I got.

All of the sudden I heard the doorbell of the house ring and hid in the backroom for safety. I heard voices from the front door and I heard the mother start answering questions…then she started denying something…..then I heard her silently crying. I heard the people at the door apologize to her and tell her apparently that her husband went down fighting. I heard Mia in the other room not noticing a thing. I walked out from where I was on all fours once I heard the door close and saw Mia's mother on the couch crying covering her eyes with her hands. I jumped on the couch and got her attention by tapping my paw on her. She uncovered her tear filled eyes and looked at me, she then quickly reached out and took me into her arms and started wailing. All I did was wrap my arms around her best I could to give her comfort. After about a minute of just sitting there Mia walked into the room.

"Mom? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" She asked innocently.

"Uh," She let go of me and got up, "Honey there is something I have to tell you," She said still tearing up.

"W-what is it? Mom your scaring me," Her mother then got her knees and hugged her daughter.

"Your father's gone honey," She said.

Mia pushed away, "G-gone!? What do you mean gone!?"

"Honey, he was found out in the woods, these people attacked him, and he….he…he beat them, and probably saved us," The mother said with tears falling down her face.

"No….NO! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" She ran to the back and I quickly rushed by her before she could close the door to the room. She shut it and locked the two of us in there.

"Mia please come out!" The mother screamed while banging on the door.

"NO! I WONT TILL DAD COMES HOME!" Mia screamed and then sat down on the floor laying her back on the wall.

"She's wrong…..she's wrong….," She kept repeating. I walked up to her on all fours and laid my paw on her shoulder. She looked up at me, "How did you get in here? DON'T TOUCH ME!" She screamed and knocked my paw away.

She was just sitting there in the fetal position, I could se tears roll down the sides of her legs. I felt sorry for her, she was going through the same experience I had to go through not too long ago. Well let's just say I felt sorry for her and wanted to help her out.

-Hey, I know the feeling,- I said to her. Her eyes widened and she looked up at me. She seemed dumbfounded, not just that I talked, but that I was now standing on my hind legs. I then got down on my knees and hugged her, -It's okay, I know what it's like to lose family, all too well,- She then started crying hysterically and wrapped her arms around my head. She kept crying and crying, with no end in sight.

-There, there, just let it all out, I am here for you,- And that is just what she did, she kept crying and crying, with me being there to support her. Once she was finally done she looked up at me.

"How, how can you speak?" She asked.

-I am not speaking, you are hearing my thoughts,- I explained.

"What? Oh…okay, well how can you do that?" She asked.

-I don't know, I was basically able to do it as soon as I was change,- I explained.

"Changed? What do you mean?" She questioned. So I gave her a rundown of everything that had happened to me. The more I told her about it the more upset she became.

"I can't believe that happened to you, I am so sorry!" She said.

-It's fine, I still have people who are there for me,- I said.

"But…but my dad, was he already dead when you found him?" She asked.

-Yes….I am sorry, there was nothing I could do,- I apologized.

"Did….did you beat them, did you beat the people who did that to him?" She asked.

-Yes, I made sure they could never do what they did to your dad again, they wont hurt you, or your mother, oh! Here!- I walked over to a piece of paper and grabbed a pen. I wrote my name and my number on it.

-If you ever need help from me just call okay?- She took a look at the number and the name an seemed interested.

"Your name is Xeta?" She asked.

-Uh-huh!- I replied.

"Cool name!" She said.

-Thanks,- I said.

Just then we heard a knock on the front door. Mia opened the door and walked out of the room with me following on all fours. Her mother had opened the door and was talking to someone. I walked up and saw who it was, it was Bruce!

"Ma'am my friend was out in that woods too! Please I just need to know if you have seen him, five foot six! Dark, blond hair! Please!" He said.

"I am sorry, I haven't seen anyone like that," She said.

-BRUCE!- He heard me and jumped.

"Are you okay?" Mia's mother asked.

-Bruce listen don't freak out! You see the dog standing next to the kid behind the woman!? That is me! I am not kidding, please listen here is what I need you to do!- I said.

I walked up to the door and acted happy to see him, "XETA!" He screamed.

"XETA?! Wait…this is your dog!?" Mia's mother asked.

"Yes ma'am it is! I lost him out in the woods a couple of days ago, been looking for him since!" He repeated what I was telling him to say.

"OH! So the stuff that was with him must be yours, I will go get them for you!" Mia's mother walked to the back of the house and grabbed my stuff and handed it to him, "Here you go, I swear keep up with your stuff and Xeta please?" She said.

"I will ma'am, I am sorry for the trouble," He said.

"It's fine, hope you have a good night, I need to work on calling some family members," She said walking into another room.

"Bye Xeta!" Mia said hugging me. "You stay safe," She said normally, "and I will call you if I need to okay?" She whispered.

-Okay, you got it, stay safe okay,- I said.

"Okay!" Then me and Bruce started to walk to the woods while Mia closed the door to her house. As we walked far enough away as to where I felt I wouldn't be seen I stood up on my hind legs.

-So my dear friend, would you be a pal and me my wears!?- I exclaimed.

"Well if I had any doubts that it was you they are gone now, man I hate when you do that!" He said while tossing me my sword and cloak.

-So, how the hell did you find me anyway, not that I am mad even though I told you to stay put but still!- I said.

"Well after you attacked I ran off. I had stayed put at your 'wolf cave' and then I heard a gunshot sound off. I traveled over there and found a bunch of bodies and blood. I called the cops to I.D. that hunter and they took him off. I noticed a trail of blood leading from the scene that led all the way to the person's house, so here I am!" He explained as I put my sword on me and got my coat on.

-Well I guess that makes sense, thanks for getting me out of there,- I said.

"No problem, but you do owe me something!" He said.

-What's that?- I asked.

He paused for a moment before speaking, "An explanation!"


	10. Chapter 10 Rundown

-That is basically how it all went down up until this point Bruce,- I said after I finished retelling the events that have happened, from my perspective at least. He stayed quiet for a while, us just sitting in front of the fire pit in my cave, eating food. I could only guess he was trying to comprehend everything that I had told him. After a minute or so he finally had something to say.

"Okay, first off, why did that man and his 'group' choose you?" He asked.

-I don't know,- I replied.

"Also how were you able to use that tail thing that night but had only realized how to use it today?" He asked.

-I don't….know,- I replied again.

"And how come were you going to try to leave everything behind! Why didn't you just tell us!? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!" He said.

-I DON'T KNOW!- I screamed while standing up and shouting along the telepathy. After I cooled off I sat back down, -I don't know, I don't have all the answers, and I don't know everything about this. I have no idea why I was able to use my tail thing that night but couldn't remember how to do it until today, and I don't know why these people chose me, or did this to me, but I think I can answer that last question,- I said.

"You can?" He asked.

-Yeah…When this happened I was absolutely terrified, I was alone, out here in the middle of the woods, could die at any moment in time….took my forever to go to sleep my first night here. Even when I got appliances and stuff I felt as if one morning I could wake up and two things could happen, I could be dead, or I could be locked in a cell for what I am now….But when I came back to school I felt better, you and Elizabeth helped me, made me feel not as scared, made me feel I wasn't alone….but then that night, I realized that if I kept going on money like I was I would run out, so to save I decided I would try hunting….but then,-

(A few days ago)  
Alright, alright, never thought I would actually use this to hunt but what other choice did I have? I decided that to save money I was going to try hunting. You usually don't see deer because they never come around people. But trust me they were out here, even though they hardly come out these areas are great for hunters. I even saw one with a bow out here one time. I decided to take my han-er paw at the task.

I got my gear together, which consisted of my sword, some water, and some crackers. I headed out into the forest to try to gather some food for me to eat. After about maybe an hour I really couldn't come up on anything. I was really starting to get frustrated at this point but then I realized something, I was a canine right? So couldn't I try to sniff out my prey? Wait prey? Oh never-mind, but I was a canine so it was worth a shot! I started to try smelling different scents in the air. Everything was very clear and very distinguishable. I decided to figure out what scents were what. I made sure to know what the grass smelled like, what the trees smelled like, and other things I could distinguish so I would know what scents not to follow.

After practicing I decided to try to find an animal. After a bit of searching I was actually able to come across a rabbit, but I really didn't have the guts to kill something so tiny. I then started searching a little more, also trying to avoid rabbits, and I finally came across a buck!

He was just sitting there eating grass, enjoying himself. I actually felt really bad about this, but money needs to be saved on my part, so I thought it was worth it! I brought out my sword ever so slowly so that the deer wouldn't hear me creeping up on him. His ears seemed to perk up and he looked up at me. I stopped dead in my tracks, I might have to chase him. But he just stared, then went back to eating the grass on the ground.

I decided to doubt what I was doing, I really shouldn't kill, even though what I did to that man was wrong, he had it coming. What did this deer do to me? I decided to let that be that. I was going to leave it alone.

But then….all of the sudden my body locked up on me. Before I could walk away I started to turn around. The deer must have noticed the change and was about to take off, but before he could I pounced on him without any control whatsoever. My body was no longer under my control, like it was an instinct. I started stabbing the deer repeatedly, not giving it a second to escape. As I stabbed it screamed, it screamed in absolute agony. Want to know the worst part, even though I had no control over what I was doing to the deer, I enjoyed it! The rush I felt as I was killing it was unlike no other I had felt before! I felt alive, but the deer sure as hell didn't. After a couple of minutes the screaming stopped, but I spent another minute more stabbing.

Once it was over I finally came back to my senses, and when I did, I was horrified with the scene. There was blood all over me and the deer was in shambles. Unlike that killer where bullets had been used to take him out, this was….this was a massacre! It's guts and everything had been sprawled out, guts, intestines, even it's heart had been smashed! It was like a monster or demon killed it, but the only thing was, the demon was me!

I was so disgusted with myself that I went over to a tree to throw up. I sat there for a good minute throwing up what I had eaten that day. After me being sick I took a look back at the carcass. I did complete what I had come out here to do, no reason to let it waste. I will say it was disgusting to carry though. After getting back to the cave, and looking up how to clean and serve it without getting sick, wanna know how hard that was without getting blood on the phone? PRETTY F*^%ING HARD!

Once I cleaned it, got it cut, disposed of the extras, and set it over the fire to cook slowly I headed out to the park bathroom with a towel and soap. I ran as fast as I could to the park restroom and locked my self inside! I quickly turned the sink on full blast, took off my coat, threw it in the corner of the room, and started drenching myself in water! Once I did that started rubbing soap all over me, doing my best to get the blood out of my fur. It was everywhere so I had to drench my head in soap too, which burned my eyes! After soaking and drying my eyes I saw that I was able to get out most of the blood, I even took a look in the mirror and saw that there was no more blood on my muzzle, which was a good sight to see.

I then spent a couple of extra minutes getting out the blood in my fur that I missed. Once I finished cleaning myself up I then proceeded to try to clean my jacket. Thankfully the paint I used for it was washable and it wouldn't come off. I would need to try to get detergent or something because regular soap was not very useful in getting clothing clean, but I made due. I then used some of the soap to clean the sword as well. Let us just say the next day I had to buy a new bottle of soap.

I finally was able to leave the bathroom in my soaking wet clothes and when I made it back I saw that the deer meat was completely cooked for me, thankfully something going right today. This was the first time eating deer meat and I was quite surprised on how good it tasted. Might need to get some steak sauce though. After I ate the deer meat I decided I needed some rest after all that drama, I did have to pick up some appliances the next day after all.

(Present)

"So wait, how does that explain why you would want to leave?" Bruce asked after I told him the events.

-Because here is why, I had no control, it was like an instinct took over, and all I wanted to do was kill,- I then looked him dead in the eye with a terrifying expression, -What if I lost control around you or Elizabeth?- I asked.

His eyes widened in shock, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait! You would never do that, would you?"

-I wish I could say I wouldn't but….here's the thing, I can actually go against that instinct,- I said.

"You can? How so?" He asked.

I then stared at him with a somber expression, -By giving it what it wants,-

His eyes looked at me in shock, but I continued, -If I hunt, and do as the instinct wants, then I don't lose control, thankfully this has only occurred with my hunting instinct, but I'm scared it could cause more, and then I would lose control again but in other ways,- I explained.

Bruce took a minute to soak in everything I told him, and he gave me a calm expression, "So, you've been scared that those instincts could come out around me or Elizabeth, and that was the real reason you were going to leave. So then tell me, why did you lie to Elizabeth about why you were really going to leave?"

I waited a minute before speaking, -How could I tell her, how could I tell her she was in danger of dying around me? If I told her, and she never wanted to see me again then,- I started tearing up, -WHAT ELSE WOULD I HAVE LEFT TO LIVE FOR!?-

That response genuinely shocked him because he backed off when I screamed that. Thankfully he did give me a minute to calm down before he spoke up again, "I understand, you care for her, and you don't want to lose her. I have always respected you about that, most people would just give up after how long you two have tried to get with each other, but you two just kept going, and you still seem pretty close to this day!" He said.

-To bad we can't be any closer,- I said looking down.

"Well….just don't give up man, from what you have told me she still cares about you, and will be there for you…..she won't leave you man, and I will let you tell her when the time is right for you okay, just be honest with her, she won't leave you!" He told me.

I looked back up at him, -You really think so?- I asked.

"Do fish swim?" He replied.

-Yeah they do, and I know I certain one I am gonna throw in the lake if they make a joke like that again!- I said getting more upbeat.

"Well then you would have to catch me first!" He said back.

-Are you kidding? You know I can run at extreme speeds right?- I asked.

"Yeah, yeah, freaking show-off!" He said.

-This coming from the guy who tried like twenty times to hit a three-pointer backwards in gym?- I asked.

"Never said I wasn't a show-off, it's my thing not yours!" He said.

-Who said it was yours?- I asked in a smug tone.

"Touché!" He replied. We both got a good laugh out of that one. After our laugh I looked over at the game system in the cave.

-Hey man, wanna play a game or two?- I asked.

"Sure! Still got Blazblue?" He asked.

-Sure do let's go!- We headed over there and got the game set up on the playstation. We went to the character select screen I chose the bad guy of the game called Hazama, while he chose the main character Ragna. See I had some advantages over him because what my character does is send out these chain like things that make him be able to move around the map with ease, his main weapons is these really fast butterfly knives that he would send out in an instant, this character was great but his character was good too. What his character would do was that with certain attacks he would gain health from them, kind of like a vampire, but the sword is the vampire, the sword is also a scythe. Didn't really like that character though, too slow for my taste.

So first round had started and I was able to keep him away from me with my chains. He started jumping to get up close but I was having none of that. My chains could be used as a projectile if I line them up right so I was not letting him near me. We kept on in that round until I won, he slipped up and I hit my super move on him.

Next round started and he was a little pissed I think, rushing in like crazy. He was able to take me out that round. Then came final round where I was extremely careful, making sure to time all of my attacks appropriately, and was able to win that game with just enough health that I wouldn't have died instantly.

"Damn man! How the hell can you even play with paws?" He asked.

-Guess my brain kept the knowledge on how to play and let my new body coördinate to that knowledge, either that or some bull-s*&% I can't explain!- II said.

"Yeah I guess so," He said. We sat there for another minute, he seemed in thought, "Xeta, what about those people, the ones after you?"

-What about them?- I asked.

"What do you mean, something needs to be done about them, we have to tell someone, like the government about what has happened!" He said.

-You know that wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for one thing,- I said.

"And what's that?" He asked.

-What if it was the government that planned this out?- I asked.

His eyes widened at that one, "Oh…..well I mean….yeah I guess you are right, but these people the death total is way too high, we can't let them do this anymore!"

-I don't want anything to do with them, nothing at all, they will just go away, if we wait long enough,- I said.

"Go away?! You're kidding right? If you haven't realized yet that they were just out here searching for you, and they killed an innocent man for just being around, these people don't hold remorse, so we need to try to get the information, and figure out what they are trying to do!" He said.

-Then what?! After we find out what they are doing then what do we do, HUH!?- I screamed at him.

"Simple we take them out!" He said.

-You really are all kinds of stupid….no it's not happening, I have no interest in becoming a hero, someone wo saved the world from catastrophe, that isn't me….I just want to live my life, nothing more…..I am not going to just go around being a superhero, I just want to settle down, and just live life….that is all I want,- I explained while sitting over by the fire.

"You wanna know what I think?" He said walking over to me. He got down and looked me straight in the eyes, "I think you are just a coward, you are just too scared to try to fight back,"

-It isn't like that, it's not like that at all,- I said.

"Oh really!? Well guess what from what I am seeing it seems you would rather sit here in peace while other people have to suffer loss like the hunter's family, you would rather sit here in your 'peace' when you could do something about it, you are a coward!" He said.

-I CAN'T LOSE ANYMORE OF THE PEOPLE I CARE ABOUT!- I screamed which in turn made Bruce back off. -You and Elizabeth, are two of the only people I have left in this life, if we get involved, if they find me again, they can use tactics and information to try to hurt me…or the people I care about,- I explained to him.

He took a minute to let that sink in, "Xeta, I get that…..your scared, but you aren't the only one. I'm terrified now, I still am, because in my mind you still aren't what society considers normal, and I can't help but look at you the same way…..but if what you said was true, Elizabeth doesn't feel that way, she still thinks of you as the same person, no change at all….Xeta listen, these people aren't going to stop, they will keep searching and searching until they find you, and when they do they will take away the ones who you care about again, I am willing to fight, and help you protect Elizabeth, so…..let's beat these bastards to the punch, let's take them down before they get to you!"

I then looked back up at him, and gave him a huge grin, -Alright you suicidal maniac, let's get these bastards, but be warned, if you are really are scared of me, you will probably lose your s*&% when I get serious!- I smirked at him.

"Alright then, I am going to head home okay, tomorrow let's try to meet up in the library, that one class you have pretty much let's you do what you want, what was it sixth period?" He asked.

-Yeah it's sixth, we will meet up in the library then, try and figure out if there were any known attacks like the one today,- I explained.

"Alright then, you get some rest okay….also I won't tell Elizabeth about what you're keeping from her, again that is your decision, you tell her when you think it's right okay!" He said.

-Thanks man!- I replied.

"No problem," He then headed out of the cave, I could only presume he was heading back to wherever he parked his car. I then took my time to get into my bed and get some rest, wonder how I will cover up the bandages? Eh, I will figure that out in the morning.


	11. Chapter 11 Practice Makes Perfect

I had gone to school the next morning dashing through the trees like I always do. I stopped at one branch just looking over the school, I always thought about what it would be like once I graduated. What would I do, what would I see? I kept looking at the school….still had some time left before it started. I just sat on the branch and thought to myself what awaited me ahead.

There was the ending where I would live happily, beat the bad guys, and society would accept me. Everyone would have a happy ending, everyone except for me, my tendencies to lose my mind, go berserk, my family was gone, and there would be no one I could ever be with.

Then the next ending, bad guys win….I die, my friends die, Elizabeth dies, then the people who did this to me can keep on going. They all get their wish, and I get to be with my family….Huh. It isn't such a bad ending when you think about it.

Then the next one, I win and society doesn't care, tries to hunt me down…and end me there. At least I would have Bruce and Elizabeth! But then what would happen to them in that scenario.

Then my last one, which is a mix, any of the possibilities that I just stated could come full circle. I could win, I could lose. Friends could die, friends could live. Who is really to say on that front?

All I know is that, this is life for me now, whatever happens will happen, all I can do is live, day by day, and live to the fullest. I got up from the branch, took a deep breath and smiled, if anything was gonna happen, still need to finish school!

I jumped down from the branch and ran over to the school while I turned on my disguise. After entering the building I noticed Elizabeth sitting in the lunch-room waiting for me! She seemed to be talking to some her friends and didn't notice me enter. I walked up to her and tapped her on her shoulder.

She turned around quickly, "Xeta! Heh! You scared me!" She said to me.

In return I gave her a smile.

"OH! So this is that Xeta I have been hearing about!" Her friend with long, black hair said.

"Shut it Sunny!" Elizabeth said embarrassed.

"No, no! Sit down Xeta we have much to talk about!" Sunny said. I decided to just do it since I saw no problem in it.

"So Xeta you hang out with Bruce yesterday?" Elizabeth asked after I sat down.

I nodded to her as a response.

"So what did you both do? Huh? I mean without you being able to talk what could you two possibly do?" Sunny asked.

I wasn't really able to answer so I was getting a little uncomfortable.

"They usually play games, video games, and just talk!" Elizabeth said for me.

"Well it looked like half of that is taken out of the picture you know?" Sunny said.

Okay…..so who is this b****?

"Okay what is your deal Sunny!?" Elizabeth said while slamming on the table.

She looked startled then started laughing, "Sorry, sorry, I was just messing with him….sorry about that! I probably sounded like a total b**** right?"

Elizabeth took a breather, "Jeez, I thought you were serious there,"

"Nah, just something I needed to be sure of, you have been talked about a lot here believe it or not. You might not notice it but you are a highlight, either people are too shy or too scared to go near you, I mean with the eyes, the scar, and the fact you broke a jock's hand, you are pretty known as someone not to even mess with, I wanted to test you and prove them wrong!" She exclaimed.

I gave her a smile and a nod to say I understood.

"Ha! Knew you would be understanding!" She looked over at Elizabeth, "You should trust your friends more often Elizabeth!" She said frowning.

"I WASN'T! It was just a really realistic performance!" She pleaded.

"Yeah I guess I could work with that, HEY! Maybe I could be an actor! What do you think Xeta?" She asked.

I gave her a nod to agree with her.

Once that was over the bell had rung and Elizabeth and I said bye to Sunny and made our way to our next class!

Of course we did our work together and now we had a project we had to work on. She said she would do the model for it and I would do the research for it, boring stuff. The next class was easier, the one with that asshole of a teacher. But cool thing is every time he starts acting up Elizabeth gives him a devil smile to let him know she is about to go off on him, shuts his ass right up!

After that period I had my class with my favorite teacher. She had work to do today so she couldn't speak for too long but she is still checking up on me as usual. She really does care for me, I think after what happened she really feels for what happened to me. I really do thank her for it, just wish I could tell her personally.

At lunch it was the same. Hang out with Elizabeth, pretend I was actually writing to her, same old. We usually would just talk about different things, politics, events, stupid videos, pets, whatever! Lunch was a bit different from before though because we got a surprise guest.

"Hey man you got a sec?" I looked over to see who it was and it was the jock whos hand I broke. He was wearing a small cast for his hand, it looked like I didn't harm him that much though.

Elizabeth stood up though, "YOU! You still think you got away with what you tried to do!? Xeta didn't bother you at all and you attacked him!"

"I know…listen Xeta could you meet me outside the school once it's over? Nearby the forest if that is okay?" He said.

"Why would he even!? He doesn't even know your name!" She said.

"It's Terry, listen Xeta please?" He asked again.

I didn't know if it was a set-up or not but I really didn't care, I nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, meet you there, oh and if you don't show it proves you are a wuss!" He said.

In return I smirked at him as he walked away.

"Why would you do that? What if he is with the people that did this to you?" Elizabeth whispered.

-Because either way it's a win-win, either nothing goes down or I get some info on the guys who did this to me, either way I am going!- I said.

"O-okay, just stay safe," She said.

-You know I will!- I exclaimed. We finished eating lunch and I told her I would probably go see what Terry wanted so I wouldn't meet her at the car ramp. She said it was fine and I went on my day as usual. At the end of the day Bruce came by.

"Yo man, so we heading out to train?" He asked.

-Actually I have something I need to do,- I said to him.

"Oh? What's that?" he asked.

-Don't know, he didn't say,- I replied. He left it at that and we continued walking. I walked over to the forest where I saw Terry with two other dudes that looked to be jocks. He told the guys something and walked over when he spotted me.

"Hey man, this your friend?" Terry asked me.

I nodded to confirm his suspicions.

"Well listen I know this might seem intimidating but there was something I wanted to do," Terry said.

"What you gonna gang up on Xeta with your friends back there?" Bruce asked.

"No, no! See well the thing is that the fight we had where he broke my hand didn't end how I wanted it, I know it sounds stupid but I want a rematch, here and now!" Terry said.

This actually peaked my interest so I nodded and let him continue.

"But see I already know you're good, anyone who could break a jocks hand at your size has to be good, so if I start losing badly he will jump in, then if we can't beat you he jumps in, then if all three of us cant fight you then you are the winner, no breaking bones, no trying to kill, just a simple fight, through and through," Terry explained.

Now I was really interested! I gave him a nod to agree!

"Really?! Well alright want to start now?" He asked.

I again nodded.

"All right remember the rules lets go!" Terry exclaimed.

He got his fists ready and was waiting for me to make a move. I stood there with a smile waiting for him, I was actually really happy about this, first fight where I don't have to worry about dying! He started walking closer with his hands raised, I kind of felt bad because he still had a cast, I was going to try to hold back. He came closer and started throwing punches. He seemed to be trying to go for a safe bet, covering his center while sending in straight punches I had to block or dodge.

He had a problem though, I quickly swept down and used my right leg to sweep him off the ground and onto his back, I then quickly rolled back to gain distance.

He got back to his feet with a shocked expression that turned to a smile, "Huh? Guess I will have to be more careful fighting you,"

I gave him a nod with a smile!

"Hey want me to join in?" One of his friends asked.

"Not yet, I am actually enjoying this, I am going to have to think outside the box for this one" Terry said.

"Alright man," His friend replied.

He came at me once more but this time trying a different approach. He went for a fake kick while swinging a right at me. I quickly blocked it, got behind him and kicked him away from me. He got up again where instead of punching he quickly grabbed my leg and tried to knock me off balance. As I fell back I landed on my fore paws and pushed myself up to kick him with both my legs, knocking him to the ground and landing myself.

"Ah! Damn it! How in the hell did you manage that? Whatever, alright Will, help me out here!" Terry screamed.

His other friend stepped up and they both got ready with their fists raised. I got myself ready with my paws raised as well.

"So now you are taking this seriously, alright lets see what you can do!" Terry said.

I got ready as they both started to move to each side of me, seems like they were trying to jump me in a way but I had a plan. I got ready for them to charge and what do you know thy did do it! Will threw a punch from behind me which I grabbed with my paw and I jumped in the air as Terry was coming from in front of me. As I got behind will I kicked him to where he flew into Terry.

"Okay so Terry let me ask you something! WHERE ON EARTH DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO FIGHT A NINJA!?" Will screamed.

"Shut up man, he isn't a ninja he is good at fighting, better then your lazy ass!" Terry said.

"What did you say!?" Will screamed.

"Shut it! Back to it!" Terry said.

This time they rushed at me swinging, doing this alone would have been stupid but it was really smart how they came at me together. I was having to back off constantly to avoid being hit. Then Will swung his arm down and knocked me off my paws which gave Terry the chance to land a kick on me.

But their victory was short lived as I quickly ran up again, grabbed Will's left arm and Terry's right arm. Once I had them I spun them around and quickly was able to send two kicks to each of them. They both fell to the ground while their third friend and Bruce looked in wonder.

"Okay so I am seeing this right, a kid, smaller than us, is able to literally and utterly f*** our s*** up! Did I get it right Terry?!" Will asked.

"Okay if you do not shut up, I am going to make sure this is a three on one against you! AND I THINK XETA WOULD AGREE! QUIT COMPLAINING! CARTER YOU'RE UP!" After Terry screamed that his third friend came up and I got myself ready again.

They all circled me and I got ready for them. Carter charged first and when he swung I simply jumped, held my paw on his shoulder and flung over him. Then Will had tried to throw a punch but I spun and ducked under it. But as my back was turned Terry put me in a full nelson. I wasn't going to be able to get out of this easy, so I waited for the other two to charge and when they did I put all of my body weight to jump forward. It brought Terry along for the ride. I flung forward to where we did a flip and he landed on his back, the blow caused him to let me go and when he did I quickly used my fore paws to propel myself at Will and Carter which made them both get kicked in the face. They both fell in pain.

That seemed like the end of it for them, they put up a good fight, but I had an advantage from the start. I walked over to Terry who was just starting to come to. When he opened his eyes he saw me holding out my disguised paw for him to take.

He smirked, "Guess we lost huh?" He said.

I just nodded with a smile. He took my paw and let me help him up from where he was laying. He looked at me funny after he got up but he seemed to brush it aside.

"Damn, okay don't know what you took to fight like that but damn I got to find out, good work, I will go help my friends who you knocked flat on their asses!" He said while getting his friends up.

"Well that was something, I guess that is what those jerks from the forest got huh?" Bruce whispered after walking up.

-Well that and more, because I didn't kill here,- I said.

He gulped when I said that, "Oh right.."

Terry walked over with his friends, "Thanks for that Xeta, actually makes me feel better we had a 'fair' fight, I mean I know it was three on one but you seemed to enjoy it, sorry about what I said before, it was uncalled for, and I am sorry about your family."

I held out my disguised paw and gave a smile.

"Heh, thanks, you seem cool, we could hang out at some point if you are interested?" He said.

I gave a nod.

"Alright see you around man!" He then walked off with his friends.

"Wow man, I thought you were going to go off on them, good thing you didn't," Bruce said as we started to walk to my cave.

-I am not going to butcher someone because they asked for a spar, that was fun anyway!- I said.

"You kind of scared me with that line a minute ago, Xeta….do you not mind killing?" He asked.

I stopped walking and looked him dead in the eye, -If monsters like them took everything from you, your family, your home, your body, then what would you feel if you killed them?-

He backed off a little, "Yeah I guess I would feel better about it if I got revenge, I can see why, but would you feel bad about killing someone you know?"

-Of course, I'm not heartless,- I said to him.

"Alright well back to business!" We kept walking to my cave and once we made it there we stopped.

"Okay so Xeta can you stop focusing on the disguise?" He asked.

I turned off the disguise and went back to my now normal, animalistic body.

"Okay so show me what you know how to do with your power!" He said.

-Alright so far I have this,- I then made that blue, glowing staff I made before, -It's like a staff, I can wield it and!- Then I used my leg to break it, -I can also break it to turn it into small nightstick like things!-

"I see! That is actually really cool! What else?" He asked.

I let the staff fad and continued, -Well I can sense emotions!- I said.

"WAIT WHAT!?" He asked.

-Yep, I can tell when someone is scared, happy, nervous, lying, all of that! I used it to see Elizabeth was scared of me,- I said.

"She was?" He asked.

-Yeah, I hunted early in the morning when she stayed with me and well, I had blood on me, I could tell she was scared of me,- I explained.

"Okay, so that could be useful if we need to interrogate someone," Bruce said.

-That makes sense!-

"Alright what else?" He asked.

-Well as you know,- I took off my coat and made my tail turn to steel, -I can turn my tail to steel! It works as a blunt weapon as well!-

"I see! Oh um, please do not pull a Negan on anyone!" He warned me.

-Oh….right!- I said with a awkward smirk.

"Okay so besides the disguise and your physical abilities what else can you do?" He asked.

-I don't know,- I said simply.

"Well you have that energy, have you tried to condense in to one of your paws?"

-Huh, no actually I haven't let me give it a try,-

"Hey and not just a small amount put a good bit into it!" He exclaimed.

-Okay!- I screamed.

I then started sending energy into my paw, and not for disguising, I was sending a lot into it and it started sparking, but t wasn't blue, it was white, like a white lighting.

"HOLY S***! IS THAT LIGHTING!" Bruce screamed!

-Yeah I think so!- I said.

"Well what's it doing!?" He asked.

-I don't know!- I screamed.

I kept focusing but nothing was happening. I decided it wouldn't do anything and just stopped focusing.

Big mistake.

The thing caused like a sonic boom. It shot off this white light that exploded close my hand. The force made Bruce fly back a bit and I had to stand my ground so that I didn't fly away either. Once it stopped I noticed that the tress had leaves falling from them caused by the force my paw gave off.

Bruce was able to get back up, "HOLY MOTHER OF JESUS! DID THAT JUST HAPPEN!?"

-HELL YEAH IT DID THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!- I screamed.

"ALL RIGHT THEN WHATS NEXT?!" He screamed.

I gave him a smirk, -Let's keep going!-


	12. Chapter 12 Gear Up

-Okay!- I started breathing heavily from exhaustion, -How'd I…..How'd I do?- I asked Bruce.

"Well considering three of the trees over there have holes in them and one of them got knocked over from that steel tail and staff…..yeah! I'd say you did a pretty good job!" I looked around at the three trees that had holes in them. I had practiced using my force palm on those, which is kind of impressive, but I sent a good bit into each to cause the holes. I also tried practicing how to use it in a fight, which is pretty easy, just place my paw on any body part and let the energy go, it might be able to break bones!

Then for the tree that had fallen over. Yeah I was using my iron tail and my staff to make dents and practice how to hit with them. I learned how to hit if my back is turned and use my tail effectively. It worked out extremely well…..until the tree fell over, and here we are now! It has been about two or maybe three hours worth of training, it was starting to get dark.

But I had noticed something, -HEY BRUCE! You know you are going to have to delete those videos on your phone right!?-

"Chill man! I am not going to post them, well after this is over and we explain what happened to you at least, but until then I just want to re-watch them, not every day you get to see something like this!" He explained.

-Yeah but just be careful about it okay?- I asked.

"Okay! Hey so uh during you training you said we were going to do something afterwards right?" He asked.

-Yep, so anyway I was thinking since you want to help me train and help me go after these guys I was thinking that I shouldn't be the only one that fights,- I explained.

"Okay so what do you expect me to do, these are like ninjas, or spies, OR SUPER SAIYANS!" He screamed.

-Well even though your logic in that last part is flawed, yes they do have an advantage over you,- I said with my paw on the under part of my muzzle. -So I thought we should get you something to protect yourself while you are around me, so how about we head down to academy and get you some weapons?-

"Are you sure that's a good idea Xeta?" He asked.

-Better then you getting jumped or killed, so come on lets go!- I said.

"Uh sure, I think you have been through enough though, lets take my car!" He said.

-Alright then!- I said. I got my coat back on, along with my weapons, then I turned back on my disguise. We walked back out of the woods and then to the spot where Bruce had parked near the school. We got in the car and I immediately buckled up. As we got moving I turned off the disguise to relax.

-Dude! I have not sat in a car in about a week! It actually feels good to not have to run like a madman you know?- I said expressing relief.

"Well, not really man, I mean you literally walk or run to school, and I saw how fast you were during training and during that fight, speaking of it, it's like you know what they do before they do it, can you read their minds?" Bruce asked as he drove.

I turned to him, -No, actually when I am fighting and moving like that somehow I see things at a different speed, it's like time slows down, I don't really know,-

"Wait really? So like when your moving at fast speeds and using your body in ways that require quick reflexes you see things slower?" Bruce asked.

-That's basically it! When I fight it's the same as if I'm running! My perception of the fight or movements are enhanced, so then I can time attacks and blocks perfectly!- I explained.

"Huh, do you think it could have something to do with those instincts you were talking about?" He asked.

-Maybe, or it could be this aura, I am not exactly sure but thankfully all I have to do is fight or run, it activates on it's own after that!- I explained. He drove as I really had nothing to do.

-Hey man got nay music?- I asked.

"Um sure, what are you in the mood for?" He asked.

-Um, 21 Pilots, Black Eyed Peas, Eminem?- I asked.

"I got 21 Pilots!" He replied.

-Okay! You got Heathens?- I asked.

"Hell yeah!" He handed me the cd and I put it in the disc tray and got the song ready. Heathens was my favorite in the soundtrack from this band so I had to play it. Basically a song about your friends being heathens and wrong doers and stuff like that, but really I just listen to music for the beat!

By the time the song was over we had made it to Academy, which is basically a huge outdoor equipment store. I turned back on my disguise, stepped out of the car and waited for Bruce to get out as well. Once he did he looked around.

"Damn, this place usually packed?" He asked.

-Yeah, big place, all sorts of things people need, yeah it's busy a lot of the time,- I answered.

"I mean, I guess I can see it with hunters and fishers and stuff like that," He said.

-Yeah but we might want to stop talking, people don't need to look at you like your crazy having a one-sided conversation,- I explained.

"Okay!" He replied. We walked inside of the building and we walked back to first the survival weapons area, which has knifes, axes, equipment you would use to prepare hunted food, stuff like that. We walked down the hall looking for a weapon that could fit him and be easy to use.

"Hey what about this?" He asked. I took a look at what he had and it was a very light hatchet. It didn't weigh much and seemed like the best weapon he could us against someone attack him at close.

-Alright, looks good, now the next thing you need it a gun, I have my wallet on me but we will only be able to buy a shotgun or a rifle, since I'm only eighteen and all,- I said.

"Wait you can buy a shotgun or rifle but not a pistol?" He whispered.

-Nope, don't ask me why that is just gun law,- I said.

"Huh, law class did you good huh, but where the f#$% is the second amendment huh?" He asked.

-Who knows?- I replied.

After we got what close quarters weapon he would use we went to the gun section, they had all of these glass cases holding handguns and then they had rifles on the back shelves. I started letting Bruce look around and casually told him with telepathy that it didn't matter the price. He started looking at the shelves and he seemed to eye one he liked. I just stayed nearby looking at some scopes as he decided. I overheard the gun he was looking at is called a "Savage .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire Bolt-Action Rifle," what a long ass name. It looked like it got made with a really strong wood and built very well, it seemed like any other bolt-action rifle though. He asked if he could try out the gun and the man said he needed ID which he provided and it costs fifty dollars for rounds. I walked up and gave him the money for him to try out of my wallet.

The gun he was using was bolt-action but it was really better that he stayed back anyway. He went into their firing range and the man went in and showed him how to load the gun. It seemed like one of those load in and go guns, you individually place each bullet in. He gave it a shot and when he did it seemed to give a kick. He kept practicing and practicing until he thought he had it down. He handed the gun back to the man and told him that would probably be the one he wanted. They walked back over to me and I decided I wanted a gun as well.

I told Bruce through telepathy to tell the man I wanted a gun as well, but I was leading towards a shotgun. The teller seemed like he was going to ask why I couldn't speak but shut up because I think he noticed my fake scar. I started looking on the shelves for the shotgun I wanted and was able to spot one. I told the man to bring it down and take a look. The shotgun was a, "Mossberg 500 J.I.C. Cruiser 12 Gauge Shotgun," as the man described. See it was a pump-action shotgun like the other but didn't have the stock, not meant for hunting as more of a defensive weapon. I chose that one and the teller asked if I wanted to try it. I agreed and gave him the money out of my wallet. I went into the shooting range this time and got the gun loaded. The man instructed me on how to the load the gun and I followed them to the best of my ability. I had some trouble and the teller got a little frustrated, which I understood, because he didn't realize that I was trying to use paws to load a gun. Anyway after some trial and error I was able to effectively load the shotgun and pump it.

I aimed down the range and fired at the target they had. Thankfully with my quick reflexes I could pump the shotgun faster than I think I would have normally been able to do. I kept firing and one I ran out it was time for my first reload. I tried reloading the gun faster this time and I expected myself to fair but thankfully if a bullet fell I caught it real quick, would have to practice more but not half bad on my behalf.

After my test fire I walked back outside where Bruce had waited and I nodded at him to tell I wanted the gun. Bruce told the teller we would buy the gun and get on our way, but I wanted us to get one more thing before we left. After purchasing, buying ammo, and cases for the guns we walked over to a gear section.

"What are we doing on this aisle?" Bruce asked quietly.

-We need gear to hold our ammo you know, cant just be stupid and carry one mag,- I replied.

"Oh, right," He said.

-Go ahead pick one that works with your ammo, I'm looking for one myself that will fit,- I said. He walked off to look for his own gear while I took a look around myself. I would need one smaller than average and thankfully I found the smallest one with adjustable straps, it also had shotgun shell holders on it as well, lucky me.

"Hey, will this do?" Bruce came back holding a black piece of gear the looked like it could hold rifle ammo. I though it suited him so I nodded. "Alright then, I guess we pay and go right?" He asked.

-Yep, that's it!- We took our time to get up to the front since there was already a line and only one register open….they had three.

After about maybe five to ten minutes of waiting in line it was finally our turn to pay. The woman at the front made a joke about us looking like swat members or something, I kind of found it funny myself. After that we took the guns and loaded them into his car and started heading back to my cave.

"Hey um, so how did you pay for that anyway," He asked me.

-A family tree worth of life insurance,- I said.

"Oh…shit," He said.

-Yep,- I replied with a somber expression.

He waited for a minute before speaking, "So yeah, I wont be able to take my gun home you know?"

-Yeah I thought of that, it's a simple solution, just keep your gun at my cave okay?- I said.

"I guess…..heh, I'm kind of scared though," He said.

-Ah, tell me about it, you know you don't have to do this right?- I told him.

"I wouldn't feel right leaving you to do this alone man, all you have left is your friends, so if I don't help you who will, and I know you wouldn't let Elizabeth help with this, you care about her too much," He said.

-But I care about everyone I have left!- I pleaded.

"I know, but dude I know you're in love with her, I remember you telling me that for the first time and you were so scared about telling me, and when I asked why you told me it's because you didn't want to lie" He said.

-Damn you still remember that, it was like two years ago wasn't it?- I asked.

"Yep, I remember you also told me you are scared of her parents, really greedy mofos, right?" He asked.

-Yeah, that's them, I feel bad for her, she doesn't deserve what they try to make her do,- I said.

"Yeah well if she moves out she wont have nothing to worry about!" Bruce said. "But anyway back to what I was saying, I understand why you would be more protective of her, and I don't think of you any less with being more strict about this with her then me, you want help, but you can't bring yourself to ask her, I would probably do the same man," He finished.

-Thanks for understanding man,- I said.

"No problem, and don't feel guilty if anything happens, I chose this remember? You didn't force me," He said.

-Thanks again,-

"Don't mention it, seriously don't, if you do I'll hurt you," He joked.

-Try it, I'll snap your arm like a twig,- I said with an evil smile.

"Seeing as what you did to that tree you would probably do more than snap it," He joked as well.

-Heh, yeah I guess your right!- After a few more minutes of driving we were back to the parking lot we were at before. I got the gun cases out and took them out of the car along with our gear.

"Hey man, look I think I will keep the hatchet with me, I think I can hide that one pretty well!" He said sticking his head out of the window.

-You sure?- I asked.

"Yeah, kind of want some reassurance along with me okay?" He said.

-Alright!- I picked up the cases and gear and got ready to head out, -I'm heading back, I will talk to you later man!-

"See ya!" He then took off in his car as I started walking through the forest. It took a bit of time to get back to my cave but halfway there I turned off my disguise to take a breather. Once I got back I put down the cases and gear and was finally able to take off my coat and sword. I decided to try on my gear and see how it fit.

It took a minute of adjusting but I was finally able to get it where it fit me comfortably and didn't hinder movement. I would try the shotgun later, I was a bit too tired. It was weird though, I had a feeling I was forgetting something, but just couldn't put my fi-er, I guess paw on it.

…..Wait…..

I then screamed in my language, "ARGH! I FORGOT ABOUT THE PROJECT FOR ANATOMY! F#$%!" We only had three days to work on it and I had a tendency to procrastinate on stuff like this!

I quickly went to my bad and got out some paper. Once I finished that I went to my phone and started looking up facts about body parts and stuff like that. During my search I got a text from Elizabeth. I opened up the message with my paws and read it aloud to myself.

"Hey, so I guess telepathy doesn't work long distance does it?" I read.

I quickly typed in the message, "No it doesn't."

I waited a minute for a reply, "Gotcha, so….did you forget about the project?"

Knew that was coming, "I did, but was just starting to get on my part."

I then waited for the next text, "Ah, so you were procrastinating," She said ending with a smirk emoji.

I typed back, "I was actually hanging out with Bruce."

I waited, "I'm just messing with you! Knowing you, you will probably get this done tonight!"

I texted back, "Depends on how long I stay awake…your parents aren't screwing with you are they?"

I waited for a reply, "You really are too worrying you know, and no they aren't trying to get me to change or ignore my friends."

I replied, "Good to hear, they shouldn't do that to you."

I waited for a minute, "Well once I move out they wont be able to control me, just don't know where I would stay."

I was going to reply you could stay with me but I was too afraid to, there would be no way she would live in a cave anyway, "Hey well, if you ever need help finding a place you can talk to me! I could see what I could do!"

I waited for a reply, "You really are too sweet, let's just worry about that when the time comes okay Xeta! Good luck on the work, maybe we should try to go on a date again you know?" She ended with a wink face emoji.

I started to blush and replied, "Yeah! Sounds good! Well see what we can do! I better get back to this project, talk to you later!"

I waited for a reply, "See ya Xeta!" And with that I got to my research. Maybe I could try to get this done early, then wouldn't have to worry about it later. I then pretty much spent the night working on the project and eating leftovers as dinner!

During the work I kept thinking to myself about Elizabeth, we already confessed we loved each other, so why weren't we saying it…oh who am I kidding, I'm a dog, there is really no way for it to work, hell even I can't man up to say it again to her.

Whatever, I need to focus anyway, I ignored my paranoid thoughts and got back to working on the project for my anatomy class.


	13. Chapter 13 Research

I spent the rest of the night working on the research project and was actually successful. I was able to get the anatomy research part of Elizabeth and I's project. I had looked over my notes again before going to bed the previous night to check and see if I had everything in order, and once I did I finally went to sleep.

The next morning I got up extra early so I could go hunting. Thankfully deer in these forests are very common and not that spread out so it really isn't hard to find. Once I hunted, cleaned up, got my coat on and turned back on my disguise I was finally ready to head out.

After my dash through the trees I made it to the school around a quarter past seven. I entered the building through the normal entrance and took a stop by the cafeteria and saw that Elizabeth and Sunny talking with each other. I walked up to them and gave a growl.

"Oh! Xeta what's up?" Elizabeth asked.

In return I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Hey Xeta! So you been keeping quiet?" Sunny joked.

To that I gave a small growl-like chuckle and nodded.

"Good to hear! So what you got planned?" Sunny asked.

I quickly opened my bag and got out a piece of paper and started writing. I wrote, "Sorry I can't stay, I need to go to the library to research something!"

"Ah, okay!" Sunny said.

"Alright, see you Xeta, I will talk to you in first period!" Elizabeth said. I walked out of the cafeteria and went down a hall that took me to the front office, once there I took a left to get to the library. Once inside I got on one of the computers in there. I opened up the browser and typed in the address for our local police station. I went to recent crimes on the site and scrolled through them. I was finally able to find mine. I opened the page and saw it had been filed as an arson-murder.

I saw victims as my mother's name, my father's name, my brother's name, and then my name. Too bad they didn't add the others he killed, guess that's accounted for other states departments but….it still pissed me off.

I noticed under status that everyone but me was dead, but the thing was I could click on one extra name, that man from that night. "Monty Landers" was the name. I clicked on his name and saw his info come up. Pretty much all I got was what he did and his status, dead.

But then I opened another tab and looked up this guy's name. Apparently he had a facebook, I looked it over and nothing really special on it, except one thing! There was actually a photo and post that he sent to his friends. It was about his new house, or I should say an apartment.

He lived in this town, either he recently moved here, or this group has people spread out. I quickly pulled out my phone, opened notes, and copied the address down to the letter. I then quickly snapped a photo of the guy as well. After that I put my phone away and tried to see if I could learn anything about the guy.

After a bit of research I found more on him, he had been wanted as a high-end drug dealer, getting people the really bad stuff. Meth, heroine, cocaine, and stuff that I didn't even recognize as drugs. That got me thinking if he had any accomplices or teammates, maybe I could find them and try to get some info out of them. These guys could know who Monty was working with, or could lead me to someone who knows who Monty worked for, either way I am getting some info.

"Hey Xeta!" I looked over to my right to see Sunny standing there.

I just give her a wave as a reply.

"Hey listen I don't have much time left, so do you mind if I use the computer for a bit?" She asked.

I nodded to her and got up from the computer.

"Thanks! Talk to you later!" She replied. With that I took my leave to head on to first period where I assumed Elizabeth was.

Once I did get to class I saw that she was in there waiting for me as I knew she would be. I went and sat with her in the desk beside her.

"Hey! So did you get the research done?" She asked.

-Yep! Here!- I reached into my bag and pulled out the three pages of notes I had for the project.

"Nice! Thanks, I am almost done with my part so we can present Friday!" She said.

-Alright, sounds good! Just don't forget okay?- I said.

"Okay!" She replied.

Class for that period went on as usual. We did our work as normal and by then end our teacher told us we had our project we still needed done! Then second period came along and our dick-headed teacher wasn't such a dick today. He seemed to really chill out after Elizabeth's roast she gave him the other day.

Third period was nothing special. Just same I old same old from that class. Nothing to do, nothing to see because Elizabeth wasn't there.

Then fourth, things went normal at first but before I left and was able to go to lunch Mrs. Leonhart stopped me.

"Xeta, can you come here for a moment?" She asked.

I walked back over to her and nodded.

"Xeta, are you okay? And I mean that in every way, physically, mentally, is there anything you want to tell me?" She asked.

I just shook my head to tell her I am fine.

"Listen Xeta, I am not asking this just because I am a teacher, and I'm supposed to check on my students, it's because I care about you! After everything you went through I am just scared that something bad may happen or you might make a choice you will regret, so please tell me the truth, is there anything you want to tell me?" She asked.

I just gave her a kind smile and shook my head once more.

"Okay Xeta, just tell me if you need anything okay?" She asked.

I nodded to her to tell her I would.

"Stay safe!" She said as I walked out the door.

In return I waved bye to her.

Once I got to the lunch table I noticed that Elizabeth was with Sunny, I didn't even know Sunny had this lunch period. I went to sit down with them and they both greeted me.

"Hey Xeta!" Elizabeth said.

"Xeta good to see ya!" Sunny greeted.

I waved and sat down in the booth across from them. I then reached into m bag and got out my food to eat.

"Hey Xeta what is that?" Sunny asked.

I looked down at my food which is the deer meat I usually carry around with me all the time. I got out a piece of paper to write with and wrote it down.

"Oh? Just some food you cook at your place? What kind of meat is it?" Sunny asked.

I wrote down that it was tender loin.

"May I try some?" She asked.

I gave her a piece and she tried it. She gave it a funny look but then looked at me with a smile.

"Wow! This is pretty good! You're a pretty good cook y'know?" Sunny exclaimed.

I wrote down thank you on the piece of paper I had.

Sunny turned to Elizabeth, "Hey Elizabeth do you mind if I come hang with you tonight? You're parents wouldn't mind would they?"

"Uh, I don't think so, but they are pretty strict," Elizabeth explained.

"Here! Call them and let me talk to them!" Sunny said. Sunny talked on the phone while I used writing to talk to Elizabeth.

"So is everything okay?" She asked.

I wrote back, "My teacher's worried about me."

"Why?" She asked.

"Because of all that has happened with my parents and family," I wrote.

"Oh! I see, she does care about you huh? Who knows, I have heard really good things about that teacher, especially from you, maybe she thinks of you as a son?" Elizabeth guessed.

I nodded, maybe she did think of me that way, I'm not too sure myself.

"Okay! Just got off the phone, they said I could!" Sunny exclaimed.

"Wow, how did you manage that?" Elizabeth asked.

"I am a very good smooth talker!" She said.

"Okay th-" All of the sudden the bell rung I waved to those two as I headed off for my next class.

The next three classes were the same stuff I always deal with, along with a test that I had to study for in sixth period.

After classes were over I searched around for Bruce. I saw him and gave a wave for him to come over to me.

Once he walked over he asked, "Yeah? What's up?"

-Check this out,- I replied taking out my phone. I opened up the photo of the guy on the phone and let him look at it.

"Yeah it's a photo of a guy, so?" He asked.

-This "guy" is the man who burned down my house, killed my family, and- I raised my hood and turned off the disguise, -Did this to me!- I then quickly turned the disguise back on.

"OH! Shit we gonna go get his ass?!" He said seriously.

-Nope, he is already dead by the hands of yours truly, why I am showing you this is because I have his address,- I explained.

"And what are we going to do with that?" He asked.

-We are going to search the place, see if he knows anyone, and see if they know who he worked for!- I said.

"Sounds like a plan, so are we going tonight?" He asked.

-You up for it?- I asked back.

"Hell yeah, got nothing better to do," He said.

-Alright then.-

Elizabeth:

My mom drove me and Sunny back to our house where we could finally hang out for once. I had been over to her house a few times but she was never able to come over to mine. Once we got home I noticed my dad was still at work so I decided Sunny and I would just head up to our room until dinner.

We got inside and she took an opportunity to drop her stuff and crash on my bed, "OH THANK GOD! Thought it would never end!"

"You always say that y'know?" I said.

"Yeah well this time is different, finally get to hang at your place this time, so let's see!" She said while getting up, "Wanna jam out?"

"Can't, parents don't let me," I said sadly.

"Oh…um, have any board games, any video games even?" She asked.

"I've got chess, the only game my parents allowed me to play because it was, 'A game educational enough for a winner,' that's all I got," I said.

"Eh well, better than nothing, still gonna kick your ass in it!" She said.

"You don't know what you are dealing with, I have played this for years!" I said getting cocky.

We started the casual game of chess. Sunny played it safe trying to make a blockade around her king. It is a good set up for chess but I was not going to let it stop me from winning. She started talking to me during the game.

"So why do your parents do this to you?" She asked.

"Be specific, because they have done a lot to me," I replied as I made my next move.

"Okay, why do they treat you like you can't have any fun?" She asked.

"Because they don't care about how I feel," I said back.

"Well I'm surprised Xeta hasn't come over here and kicked their asses for that one," She said.

"Be careful about cursing around my parents, they will get on you about that, and possibly make you leave," She said.

"Damn, I'm surprised they even let you have a phone!" She said.

"Oh trust me they didn't, but after me begging I made them realize I could get hurt or worse without one," I said. "And what's worse is that they tried to put a child lock on it!"

"You're eighteen! Why the hell would they do that!?" She asked.

"It almost happened too! But the shopkeeper wouldn't let them!" I replied.

"Okay so tell me why would they do this?" She asked.

I gave a breath, "My parents don't care about me, they only cared about their business. They had long since married before I was born, and they came up with their own business, they made their own clothing line, my father did the men's designs, and my mom did the women's. They were happy! Nothing could go wrong, except for one thing!" I said.

"What's that?" She said.

"They have no one to continue their business. They wanted their line of work to last even after they died, so they had the great idea to have a child! They had no intention of being parents, they only wanted another worker! They also think I am stupid, I have heard them many times during the night over the years, talking about how I will take over, talking about ways of brainwashing me into running it! But oh no! Jokes on them, I am moving out as soon as I graduate! And great news Xeta has offered for me to stay with him, and I will NEVER! Let myself be their pawn," I finished explaining.

Sunny looked down with an evil grin, "You should prank them during graduation, get them good, and then run off with Xeta! I can help too! I know many ways of making people regret doing things, especially after what they did to you, hell you know Xeta would be on board, after hearing that he would want to give your parents hell!" Sunny said.

"Yeah, it would work, but I would need a getaway driver!" I said.

"Got it covered, it's good to hear Xeta would let you stay with him, but real quick where does he live?" She questioned me.

"Oh…um, he lives in an apartment! That's what he told me," I said.

"So you've never seen it?" She asked more seriously.

"No," I lied.

"Well then hear this, I don't think he lives in an apartment!" She said with a grin.

"What, where do you think he lives then?" I asked.

"Well I don't know for sure but I know this! I have kept up with Xeta's actions for the past few days! He has gone with his friend Bruce to the woods, the woods near the school. Through that woods there are only houses, not apartments. In fact there isn't and apartment complex that way for miles, I checked it!" She said.

"Okay so? Maybe he lied and bought a house! Could be a surprise for me y'know?" I said back.

"Well I don't know, but that isn't all I know about him! This morning when he said he needed research I went up and asked if I could use his computer, and thankfully he didn't log out! Take a look at what I found!" She said while bringing out her phone.

On her phone she had photos of the pages that were on Xeta's computer, and to prove it was his account she showed who signed in to the computer, and what do you know Xeta Shidel was on there. The pages she showed me were of this guy by the name of Monty Landers, and his Facebook page. But then it got worse.

"You see this, this Monty guy is the guy who burned Xeta's house down! But get this it shows that he's deceased, and guess who the file said killed him?" She said.

I just didn't say anything.

"That's right! It was Xeta! It said here that one of the officers gave him a gun to kill the man, and Xeta accepted, no questions asked!" She explained. "But then during lunch it caught my eye on what he had to meat, when he said it was tenderloin, he was lying! I have had that type of meat before, that was deer!" She explained.

"Now unless he knows a hunter how else would he have gotten that unless he hunted himself, and he goes to that forest everyday, so my guess is he lives in the woods!" She said.

Okay I had to stop this, "Really?! Sunny I have heard some things from you but this tops it all! I mean the woods really? What you think he lives in a cave or something?" I said. "And if he did live in the woods, then that means he must have gotten some construction done for a house out there!"

"Yeah that is true, all of that is true, but listen I am not doing this to diss him or make him look bad, it just got me curious! But listen this is the real kicker!" She opened her phone again and went to her camera's videos. She started up this video that she took today and it showed Bruce and Xeta talking.

"You see look at that, Bruce is talking with him, but Xeta is not using notes, isn't that weird?" She asked.

"Yeah I guess, but they might know hand signals or something of the sort y'know?" I said back.

"True, but that isn't the reason I wanted to show you this was this part here, watch!" She said pointing to the phone. I saw that Xeta was giving hand motions and then he lifted up his hood. All of the sudden his height changed and you could see part of his muzzle through his hood, and at the bottom of his coat you could see some of the tail, then a second later it goes back to normal!

"You see that? His height changes, and I swear that is a tail!" She said.

I got a little nervous, "Well you know, it could be your camera messing with you?" I said.

"Yeah, when you're a photographer that is how it works, but I know there is a scoop here! If I am ever going to be a journalist I will have to be able to crack stuff open for the truth, and I know there is something here! I don't know what exactly it is but I want to find it! Don't you agree?" She asked.

"Well I mean it is strange, but I mean Xeta's a good guy," I retorted.

"I know he is, I just think there is more that happened that night than we originally thought, I want to find out!" Sunny said.

"Well just don't get obsessed with it," I warned.

"I won't, but hopefully I can find it out, even if it's just something small I want to find out!" She exclaimed.

"Alright, now where were we?" I asked.

"Oh right, well I was at the part where I was about to put you in check!" Sunny said.

"Oh yeah right! I already said you're not winning!" I said getting back to the game.

Sunny…she had no idea what she was getting into. I might have to tell her the truth if it gets too out of hand, but I might want to talk to Xeta about it first! It's his decision if he wants people to know, if he doesn't then they shouldn't, I will have to see what I can do about this.


	14. Chapter 14 Search

Xeta POV:

I had told Bruce that I would carry the guns to the apartment complex that Monty used to live at. I told Bruce that he would park at a nearby Taco-Bell and walk to the complex. Where was I at? Oh I was on the roof of the building.

I told Bruce that he would just walk into the building casually like he lived there, and when I saw him I meet up with him on the third floor, where Monty's room was. I saw him walk up the building's stairs and come to the top floor. This was one of those really cheap apartment complexes, but that meant not much security, but somehow they managed it to be a pretty big area with individual buildings, and thankfully, this was Monty's.

"Xeta? Xeta you here?" I heard Bruce call quietly.

I go to the edge of the roof where the staircase balcony was and peeked my head down. -Heya!- I say through telepathy.

"WOAH!" Bruce backs off. "Please, don't scare me like that again!"

-No promises!- I say, -Here!- I then hand down his rifle case and he grabs it from me. I then grab my gun, then slowly positioned myself so I can climb on the balcony railing. Once my paws are in place and balance I quickly jump from the railing and on the floor.

-Alright, room B-73, this is it,- I say.

"Alright so, how do we get in?" Bruce asked.

-Oh simple!- I put my gun case down and form a glowing blue staff in my disguised paws. I then grip it in both of my paws and use the staff to bash the doorknob to the room. Once I finally was able to break the doorknob I gave it one good kick and the door opened.

"Okay, were in," Bruce said.

-Get inside, quick!- I tell him. He goes inside and I follow while shutting the door behind us.

-Alright, you start looking around the room, I am going to look for a possible escape route, if we run into….difficulties,- I say.

"Difficulties, like what?" Bruce asked.

-Do you really want me to answer that?- I ask.

"Eh….No," and we left it at that.

I looked around the room and saw it had a balcony but that was about it. There was a window and another in the bathroom. For the room itself it wasn't much. First the place was messy, but not destroyed. The place had clothes and trash here and there, but for the room itself it had a simple TV, couch, chair, then it had a little section acting as a kitchen, and in it was a table and some wooden chairs. But then in the corner of the room was a desk and computer.

-Hey Bruce!- I said.

"Yeah?" He replied.

-So I checked the area and the only exits are windows and the balcony,- I said.

"Well s*^ , if things go south what do I do?" He asked.

I thought for a moment before thinking of an idea, -I got it! Let's just say the cops come by, what I'll do is take our gun cases, turn off my disguise, and act as a monster attacking you, that should take all suspicion off you!- I said.

"That's a bit risky, don't you think?" He asked.

-I'm fast, they wont catch me,- I said.

"I guess so," Bruce replied.

-Well then, want to jump out a three-story window?- I ask.

"Okay, if things don't go too south, then how about we use the balcony and climb on the roof?" He suggested.

-That isn't bad either, let's just see how it goes,- I said.

"Okay!"

-Alright, I want you to check his furniture, see if he stashed anything under or inside of them!- I explained.

"Okay! Um, what will you do?" He asked.

-I'm going to check his computer, see if he's got anything on it!- I explained.

He nodded and we both got to work. He started searching through the couches and such while I got on the computer and started checking files, emails, and sites. After both of us searching for a while Bruce spoke.

"Okay so I haven't found anything special," He then held up a bag of something in my direction, looked like rocks, "This dude is a major user!" He said.

-Go figure, keep looking okay?- I say getting back to work on the computer.

"Kay!" He got back to searching.

I was looking through this dudes files and sites and I found one site that I didn't recognize and checked it to see if it could tell me anything, bad idea.

"ARGH!" I screamed looking away from the screen.

"What's wrong?! I heard you scream!" Bruce yelled coming over to me.

I kept my eyes off the screen, -THIS GUY IS A F*^ ING FREAK!-

Bruce took a look at the screen and immediately regretted it and looked away, "ARGH! Who the hell could be into that!?" He asked.

I quickly closed the page, -No clue!-

So Bruce got back to looking in the room and I got back to work on looking through files and such, but then I found one file that looked to be a link. I clicked it and all of these computer protecting programs came up and said some stuff about not opening this. I accepted and this weird file browser came up, and I had been taken to this…..Oh my god.

-Um Bruce? You may want to see this!- I call out.

He walks over and asks, "Yeah what's up…..wait what page is….no way!"

I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the screen right now, -This guy….does he realize what he was doing…..this is the deep-web!- I said terrified.

The worst place, the ABSOLUTE worst place on the internet, and this idiot has it on his computer! AND HAS AN ACCOUNT?! Thank you idiot for leaving your password saved, this place is dangerous, the only reason I have heard about it was through videos but that's it. On here you can buy slaves, child slaves, drugs, fake passports, and…

-HITMAN!- I yelled.

"What?!" Bruce asked.

-This is how he did it! This is why he did it! Monty was a secret hitman!- I yelled through telepathy.

"So wait! Why would he have that shot to turn you into this then? WAIT! Maybe the people who hired him sent him exact instructions!" Bruce yelled.

-They might have…WAIT! Let me check this!- I went to the hitman section and checked on his profile there. I looked through the different pages until I saw accepted contacts. I went into that and…

-This….mother…..f*& er!- I said slowly.

On the page showed the people he's supposed to hit and on what date. It was me and my family, with our photos….this was creeping me out bad! He had gotten the hit from…a profile by the name of, "Excel," I clicked on this profile but only a state came up. Georgia….they were here!? They stationed here! I have lived in this state my entire life, and this was under my nose the entire time….makes you realize how big this world really is.

"Excel? Who the hell is that?" Bruce asked.

I shook my head, -Have no idea, but at least we know it's in Georgia!-

"Yeah, it would suck if we had to travel the world, but thankfully that isn't the case," Bruce replied.

-Yeah,- I looked through some more info and checked to see if there was anything else of interest I could use, but sadly I came up short, there was really nothing I could do.

-Okay. It looks like that's it for the computer, have you found anything?- I asked.

"Besides the drugs no, if he had anything else he must've trashed it before he went on the job for you," He said.

-Yeah, you might be right, anyway how about we go, doesn't look like the- Before I could finish I heard voices from outside.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked noticing I had stopped walking.

-Get your gun ready and hide, there are people coming up, I heard them say Monty's name!- I said through telepathy.

He nodded and took his case and went into the restroom. I got mine and hid in the kitchen and started loading it.

I heard the voices more clearly now, with these new ears being way more sensitive to sound I could hear things from farther away.

"Hey Joe, didn't Monty say we were celebrating tonight?" I heard one say.

"Yeah Boris, he said he wanted to have a party for completing his mission or whatever he called it!" I heard "Joe" say.

"Well let Monty have it, he said he was going to make bank with this one so-" He stopped talking and stopped walking. "What the hell…" I heard him say.

I then heard the clicking of guns and the door slowly opening and shutting. I looked over the kitchen counter and saw them walking. One of them was going to the computer while the other was heading to the bathroom.

These guys knew Monty, I couldn't let them slip away. As one of them was walking towards the computer I swung over the counter and blasted it with my shotgun! Before the man could turn around and fire I ran up, grabbed his arm and held it behind his back. The other man by this point had noticed and aimed, but when he did I held the guy I grabbed in front of me.

"DON'T SHOOT!" The man in my paws yelled.

The other man hesitated and asked, "Who are you? And what do you want?"

I decided to answer, -Okay listen, your friend Monty did some terrible things to me, and because of it I killed him.-

"You what?!" They both asked.

-Now look, you wont end up like him as long as you answer my questions, what'd you say?- I asked.

"Fat chance!" The man in my paws pulled away and once he did I tripped his leg and then dropped my knee on his spine! The other man was finally able to fire a shot, and when he did it made my ears ring and disoriented me. I quickly dived for the couch as cover and let him waste ammo. Once I heard him start to reload I quickly formed a staff and threw it at him. He didn't know what it was and ducked for cover. As he did I took my time to deal with my other problem. The other one had started to recover from my last hit, but I didn't give him enough time before I ran up and kicked him straight in the jaw. He looked as if he was out cold, and as I turned around I was bull charged by the other guy into the desk. When he did that my disguise gave out.

"DIE FREAK!" He started sprinting at me again but before he got to me I charged energy into my bottom right paw and sent it at him. It wasn't a direct hit, but the pressure grazed him and the blast made a loud noise. I pulled out my sword and tried to slash him but he grabbed hold of the sword. I saw blood run down the blade and while I had been distracted he head-butted me right in my muzzle. It hurt like hell, I dropped my sword and I held my muzzle in pain. I felt blood drip from my nose.

Before I could react he wrapped his arms around my neck and held me like that. I started struggling in every way I knew how and started screaming. As I struggled I tried to form energy into my right paw. It was hard to focus my energy but I was still charging, he would still lose!

Before I finished charging a gunshot rang out and the man had dropped me and yelled in pain. I took the opportunity to quickly finish the charge and placed my paw right on his chest. With a sound resembling a crack of thunder he had been blasted back and hit one of the walls of the room, causing a huge crack to form.

I slouched over for a minute to catch my breath and when I looked up I saw Bruce had his gun in his hands and smoke was still coming from the muzzle. His eyes were wide and we was sweating buckets.

-Bruce….Thanks, thanks for helping me,- I said.

"Yeah….sure," He said looking down. It was obvious what was wrong, he's fired a gun before sure, but he's never shot another person before, so it was understandable.

-It's scary, isn't it?- I asked looking up at him.

"Y-yeah…it is…." He said.

-Yeah, the night this happened was the first time I had shot someone…and killed someone, it's a hellish feeling…..but consolation, he isn't dead,- I said.

"It's.. it's not just that, I could've died just now!" He said.

-But you didn't, and just so we're clear I will always take point, I'm stronger, faster, and can take more of a hit,- I said, -I will make sure to protect you alright?-

He seemed reassured by my answer, "Yeah, okay!"

-Alright, now start finding something to tie them down with, I'm going to clean up,- I said.

"Okay," Bruce walked over to the first man I knocked out and I headed to the restroom. I got myself a bloody nose from the ordeal. I took a towel, wet it, then wiped off the blood that had got on my fur and inside my nose.

Truth be told I was ashamed with myself. I let my guard down, it was only a second but it happened. I never expected him to grab the blade of the sword, and that gave him the edge to land that head-butt. During my confrontation with those gunmen in the woods I was focused, ready, and had a plan. I didn't here, Bruce was in trouble and I wanted info, so I just threw my safety out the window and jumped. I should've been more careful, I could have relayed a message to Bruce to shoot at the door, or anything other than rushing in. I will never, and I mean never make that mistake again. It might just be a bloody nose now, but next it could be my life, or others.

After my inner scolding and cleaning up my muzzle I walked out of the restroom.

Bruce walked over to me, "Alright so I got some rope here, some fishing wire, and bungee cord things."

-Alright, let's get them tied up!- I replied.

After about maybe twenty minutes of work we had gotten them into chairs back to back and not only tied rope to their hands but also to their legs. Then we used the bungee cord to keep their hands tied. Then we used the fishing wire to add a little more reinforcement to the ties.

I went to some of the closets in the apartment and was able to find a scarf in one of them.

I went back over to Bruce, -Here, wrap this around your face and put on your hood, you'll need it.-

"Okay," He said. He did as he was told and wrapped the scarf around his face, then he put on his hood.

-Go ahead and put your gun away too! If the cops come I will need to run for it and get you on the roof,- I said.

"So that's the plan now?" He asked.

-Yep! There is a ladder on the roof, once the cops disperse you just climb down and act like nothing happened,- I explained.

"When did you come up with this?" He asked.

-Oh, just came to me,- I said.

I went over and grabbed my sword where I dropped it and then grabbed my shotgun. After sheathing the sword I put my shotgun back in it's case and picked up the bullet casing and Bruce's.

"Why you picking those up?" He asked,

-Fingerprints, if they don't have them they can't find us…..actually from now on I will load our guns beforehand okay?- I said.

"Fine by me!" He replied.

I put the casings in my gun case and right after I heard one of the men moaning.

I signaled to Bruce to get ready and I got myself ready as well.

Once the man woke up and started looking around he noticed that he had been tied down.

"HEY! WHAT GIVES!" He yelled. He took a good look around and noticed me with my hood up and Bruce with his mask and hood on.

"Okay, so which one of you f&% s killed Monty?" The man with short black hair asked.

-That would be me, and shut up, I'm doing the talking,- I said through telepathy.

"Talking? That ain't talking, I'm hearing you in my head!" The man yelled.

-Indeed you are…what's your name?- I asked.

"Heh, like I'd tell you s&% !" The man said.

-Hm….okay,- I quickly formed a staff and bashed the man in the face with a good bit of force.

"Argh! E-argh!" The man groaned in pained.

-How about we try this again? What's your name?- I asked.

"*Huff* *Huff* It's…it's Boris," He said.

-Alright, your Boris, then your friend there is Joe, we got that out-of-the-way,- I said.

He looked up surprised, "How do you know our names?" He asked.

-Simple, I heard you from outside,- I replied.

"HOW!? We were three stories down when we said our names!?" He asked.

-Look, I need you to know this, your friend Monty did some major s&% to me, and he got hired to do it to me, so I want to know if you know who Monty was hired by,- I said.

"I'm no snitch! I won't talk!" He retorted.

I quickly took off my hood and got up in his face, -LOOK. AT. ME! Do you see this, do you see what I am?-

He backed off from me as much as he could and nodded repeatedly. He looked terrified, as if he was trying to hide from a wild animal.

-THIS! Is what Monty did to me, the people who hired him for that, "Major payout" job he got, this is what he did, and not just that, he killed my family! My parents, my little brother…..I lost everything! I'm not some monster, someone trying to hurt others, I want to make sure THIS!- I gestured to myself, -Doesn't happen to anyone else!-

I got out of his face and he started contemplating things.

-I hold no grudges against either of you, I just want to know if you know anything, I wont call the cops, and I will never attack either of you again, I promise,- I explained.

He finally got the nerve to speak, "Okay look, I haven't known Monty for that long, I only met him a few months ago, all I know is the guy had dealers, and he did some terrible shit for his job, as I see now," He said looking at me. "But Joe has known him for years, he may know who he worked for, please that's all I know!"

I closed my eyes and the feelers on the back of my head lifted up. I checked his emotions and saw that he was telling the truth.

-Alright, once he wakes up I'll talk to him,- I said.

We waited for a bit and we finally heard the other guy, who had ben shot by Bruce, start to wake up.

"Huh…what jus-ARGH!" He yelled because of his leg. "What the?! WHO DID-" He started but noticed me walk in front of him. "Wh-wh-what the hell!?" He yelled.

"JOE! Calm down!" Boris said.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN CALM DOWN!? HE'S A MONSTER!" Joe yelled.

-I wasn't a monster before Monty got involved,- I said.

"W-what?" Joe questioned.

"Joe look, I haven't known Monty for that long, but Monty not only did this to him but killed his family, please just hear him out!" Boris said to his friend.

Joe contemplated this for moment before speaking, "So what, you going to kill us?"

-No, I don't want to kill anyone, I just want to know who Monty worked for,- I said.

"He didn't work for just anyone, he's hired hand, an assassin or hitman if you will," Joe said.

-Did he ever talk about a special hit, or one he'd make bank off of?- I asked.

"Why do you want to know that?" Joe asked.

-Because, whoever he got this order from are complete killers, they killed my eight year old brother, Monty tied him up in a house fire, and let him burn to death, do you get that?- I asked.

Joe looked at me wide-eyed, "I know he killed but…a kid, just a kid? What the f^%$," He said.

-Please, if you know anything, anything at all, please tell me!- I said pleading.

He looked up at me again and looked back down, "Alright, look I don't know much but listen, the day he said he was going to do his job he said he had to meet up with someone to get a package! He was picking it up from a guy going by the name of, "Karver," and that's Karver with a 'K' I should add."

-Do you know where he's at?- I asked.

"Not exactly, but I know where he usually does his work, he works at these old factory buildings, you know where right? They're close by the old train station!" He said.

-Yeah I know, thank you….hold up,- I walk into the bathroom for a minute and found a first-aid kit in the cabinet, I come back and opened it up. -Sorry about the wound, it's not like Monty needs this anymore so I can use it right?-

I took some gauze and some of the medical alcohol and poured it on the gauze and placed it on both sides of his leg, since the bullet went straight through. I then wrapped it with a surgical bandage and tied it together. He cringed a little when I did the process but it was to help.

-Look, I'm sorry, but I was out of options,- I cut some of the rope just enough to where Joe could move his hand. I then walked to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and put it in his hand.

-Look, once we leave you use this to cut yourself and him free, but don't o it until we know we're gone, and trust me, I can watch you, even through walls, got it?- I asked. Both nodded at me and I gestured to Bruce for us to leave.

But before we left Boris spoke, "Hey wait!"

-Yeah?- I asked.

"I'm sorry, for what Monty did to you," He said somberly.

"Same," Joe said.

-Thanks, I'm sorry for attack you as well,- I then left it as that and I told Bruce to walk back to his truck while I took the guns and ran off quickly.

I got back to his truck and put the cases in the back seat in the dark. I then turned back on my disguise and waited for Bruce to return. I then saw him start to walk up with the scarf off and his hood off. Once he got back in the car I got worried.

-You didn't take those off in the complex did you?- I asked.

"Nah, once I got to the woods I took them off, then walked the trail here," He explained.

-Okay good!- I said.

"So ready to head back?" He asked.

-Nope! There's a reason we stopped here!- I said with a smile.

"Oh. How could I forget this is your favorite place to eat?" He said stupidly.

-Lot's happened,- I said.

"But you still haven't changed," He said.

-Heh…..that's actually good to hear,- I said.

"Well, maybe a tad bit more impatient," he said jokingly.

-Oh ha, ha, very funny, keep this up and I'll make you pay for dinner!- I said threateningly.

"Okay, okay!" He said.

We then got out of his car and walked inside the Taco Bell, where I got my usual, the steak quesadilla!


	15. Chapter 15 Meeting

**Okay, Im so sorry for making you all wait this long. I just wanted to get out some chapters on my other story that I had waited so long to write, and the worst part is this chapter was almost done but my computer acted stupid and deleted it. Im so sorry for the wait, but I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

 **If you do please comment if you can, it's just good to hear from all of you! Now on to the story!**

* * *

Elizabeth POV:

I was laying down on my bed late at night. I was listening to music from my phone and was trying to go to sleep just as Sunny had done with the pallet we made for her. But unlike her I was not able to go to sleep. I had too much on my mind. My breathing was heavy and I kept squirming in bed.

What Sunny had talked about got me thinking. Why would Xeta need info on a guy who he already killed? What would he want with that? And what was he hiding from me. He didn't tell me what he was doing, and hasn't been for the past few days.

It was scaring me, and I was starting to lose it. What if this wasn't really Xeta? What if Sunny was right? What else has he been hiding from me, this all could be just a ruse to attack me…but he's never wanted to even past this! I didn't know! I was really scared! Not only were there people after Xeta! Making those around him in danger! What if they came after me? What if they tried to kill me?! I didn't want to die! Then how dangerous Xeta was! He's killed before! He's killed in front of me before! But….he wouldn't do that to me…would he? But he's an animal….what if he just….saw me as a snack?

ARGH! This is so frustrating? Why can't things be the way they were before?!

(14 Years Ago)

Four year old me was sitting in the backseat of my parents car. We were on my way to my first day of school. At the time I wasn't even explained what school was, just that I had to go. See a normal kid would've been scared of school if they knew what it actually was, too bad for me I didn't. I was wearing a white dress with a blue flower pattern on it. I had my blond hair which was very short but had a bit of length to it. I had a few bangs coming over my eyes, which I did not have glasses for yet.

"Alright hun!" My Mom said, "Now remember, you got to listen closely, take notes, and focus! You have to make sure to become a sophisticated, and successful young woman!"

I looked confused, "Sophista-what's it? Suc-cessa-ful?"

My mother gave an annoyed huff, "Gr…Children…"

My father turned to her, "Don't worry darling, she will be able to do it! She's our daughter, you know she will be capable!"

I spoke up, "YEAH! I can do it!"

I saw it but didn't understand at the time…my parents had smirked at each other evilly, as if they had a plot, which they did.

After a few minutes of driving we were able to make it to the school. My parents told me to get out of the car. I got my backpack and brought it out with me.

My mom rolled down her window, "Alright hun remember, at the end of the day when they tell you to go you come back to this ramp okay? We will wait for you. It may take us a bit because of the line but we will be here!"

"Okay!" I said to my mom. I turned around and started walking but after a few steps I stopped. The school looked massive, and to someone who had never been to a school, it was very intimidating. As a four-year old girl, who wouldn't be scared of this giant building they had never been to in their entire life?

I had turned myself around to try to head back to the car, but my parents had already pulled out of the parking lot….they didn't even say goodbye.

After shedding a few tears, and with no other option, I went ahead and walked inside the school building. The inside was just as big as the outside, but there were more people inside. Parents hugging their sad children and telling them goodbye, it was very cute actually. But I was too sad at the time to care. All I did was just stand there and wait, I didn't even know what class to go to.

"Are you okay?" I heard a woman say.

I looked up to come face to face with this woman who had a really primped dress on. Not only was she taller but she seemed more important me, but there was also another problem, and it made me stay quiet.

"What's wrong? Are you lost?" She asked.

I than spoke quietly, "Mommy and Daddy told me not to talk to strangers."

The woman gave a smile, "Well then they are smart parents, but you have nothing to worry about, I'm the principal of the school! What's your name?"

I then spoke my name, "Elizabeth, Monroe."

"Alright then, you stay here and I will go figure out what class you were given," The principal then walked off into the office.

I just stood for her in the room waiting until she came back with good news!

"Alright, so I fugred out your class, you see this hallway here?" She pointed to her right.

"Yes?" I said back.

"Well your class is all the way down the hall, it's the last class on it to your right….you do know your rights and lefts…correct?" She asked.

I lifted my right hand for her, "This is right….right?"

She nodded, "Yes, that is your right, no remember it's the last door on your right, Mrs. Varsh will be waiting there for you!"

I thanked the lady and took my leave down the hall. Walking down this hallway by myself was also not an easy feat, I was still really scared. But thankfully I made it to the end of the hall with no trouble! And I saw my teacher.

"Are you Mrs. Varsh?" I asked.

The woman with brown hair looked down at me, "Yes I am, what's your name?"

"I'm Elizabeth," I said quietly.

She looked on her list of names, "Elizabeth Monroe? Is that correct?"

I nodded at her.

She smiled, "Well come right in! This is your classroom! You put your backpack on the hook over there and your seat has your name on it!"

I did as I was told and took my backpack over to the hooks she had mentioned and looked around for my desk. Thankfully it was easy to find because it had my name on it, I was on the fourth row in the second chair. I took my seat and just looked around the class as I waited for it to start. She had the typical learning things in there, those posters with simple math, those that teach how to be polite and whatever stupid stuff there was. Then I took a look at the others in the room. There were a few students conversing and talking about each other, kind of funny since it's probably the first time they met.

But then I looked behind me and there was one boy. He was sitting in the fourth chair of the last row. He was blond with blue eyes. His hair had bangs but was cut short. He had on blue shorts and was wearing a shirt that had characters from a cartoon I didn't recognize, one had spiky black hair, and another was bald?

The kid however was really quiet. He wasn't talking to anyone. He was usually just looking down at his desk while occasionally tapping it with a pencil. He would also sometimes look outside, like he was oblivious to everything happening around him.

I took my focus off him and let him do his thing while I waited for class to start. The bell eventually did ring and all the seats in the room got filled! Our teacher walked inside and began to give her introductions.

"Alright class! If you did not meet me on open house my name is Mrs. Varsh!" She then proceeded to write her name on the chalk board.

"See?" She asked.

"HI MRS. VARSH!" We all yelled out.

"Alright so now, for those of you who I didn't meet on open house I am going to come around and ask you all of your names! Not just for me, but for everyone else to know as well!" She then started to walk down the first row, asking each boy and girl their names. She continued down the second, then third, then the fourth where she got to me.

"And your name?" The teacher asked.

"Elizabeth, Monroe!" I said happily.

"Alright, it's good to meet you!" My teacher said.

I nodded and she continued down the rows of people, until she got to that one kid.

"And your name young man?" She asked.

The kid was just staring out the window.

"Um…Young man?" She asked again.

He looked up at her, "Huh?" He said quietly.

"What's you name please?" She asked.

"Oh…..ta….Idel….." He said barely audible.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't really hear you," She said.

He spoke up a bit, "Xeta, Shidel…" He finished pronouncing it with a Z.

Xeta?

"Xeta huh? Interesting name," The teacher said.

One of the kids on the other side of the class started laughing, "Xeta?! HAHAHA! What kind of name is that!? It sounds made up!"

All of the other kids in the class besides me starting laughing too. Xeta slowly just sat his head down on his desk, wrapping his arms around his head.

All of the kids had continued to laugh for a moment before our teacher yelled, "THAT'S ENOUGH! I will not tolerate bullying in my class! You hear me!? We will treat everyone with respect!"

Everyone shut up and agreed with our teacher that time. Around this time bullying wasn't as severe as it was and those rules weren't in place back then, so the kid got off scot-free. We went on with the lessons and Xeta did the normal thing, he didn't really seem to care about the classes, but for my parents I was going to listen very carefully! The lessons she taught were very simple for my standards now. Just learning simple math, learning how to draw neatly, stuff like that.

Then we had PE, we did some exercises, then they let us play with all these cool toys they had! I noticed that Xeta kid didn't do much, they mad a rock climbing wall that he seemed to enjoy using.

Then art! Art was really cool! We didn't do normal art at first! For our first day the teacher let us make paper airplanes! And what's even better they were gonna let us take them outside for recess!

When we went to recess they had all sorts of cool things! Slides, swing sets, monkey bars, and a huge outdoor area for us to play! I was enjoying my time, playing on the sets, and just using my paper airplane! Sometimes even throwing it off the slide!

Then as I was playing one of the boys from my class walks up to me, "Hey, give me your paper airplane!"

I turned to looks at him, "What?! WHY!?"

"Because! Yours was made better! Now give it!" He then jumped and tried to grab the thing out of my hands, but I made sure to hold on tight and made sure he didn't get it, but before I knew it we both put too much pressure on it, and the plane ripped.

I was filled with sadness as the other kid was filled with anger.

"GRR! Look what you did!" He yelled and pushed me onto the dirt. The kid ran off and I just sat there in sadness. The teacher had not seen the event of course, with only her watching it was hard to keep up. I then began to have a few tears leave my eyes.

The first bit of happiness I had that day was ruined just like that. I kept thinking to myself why my parents would bring me to such an awful place! AND THEN JUST LEAVE ME! As a kid you don't realize how important education really is, but that was my mindset at that time. I just sat there and started to cry my eyes out not wanting to do anything.

"Are you okay?" I heard someone say.

I looked up to my left and saw that Xeta kid looking down at me. I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. His expression showed one of worry, not that I was a very good judge of that at the time.

"NO!" I screamed, "My parents drop me off at this awful place because I've got to be whatever they called it! Then I get left without knowing what I am even supposed to do! Then after the first bit of happiness I've had all day it gets ruined….SO NO! I'M NOT OKAY!" I say and start to cry again.

I had looked down after that and had not realize Xeta had sat own on his knees, "Here."

I looked back at him and saw he had put his airplane in my hands.

"What? No this is yours!" I said.

"It's fine, just keep it…I don't need it," He said and helped me up. Afterwards he just walked off. I didn't really take the whole interaction as anything special and went back to playing. After recess was over the teacher called us all to line up and asked if we had our planes.

She got to Xeta, "Where's yours at?" She asked.

Xeta looked down, "I lost it…"

She got a little surprised, "Oh well….I'm sorry but we have to go to lunch, c'mon!"

We went to the lunchroom and I could see all the classes in there, getting their food and such. I got my tray with my milk and went to go to the table. But I looked down the table past all the others and saw Xeta. He was sitting alone eating the food from the lunchbox he had. I didn't know any of these other kids so I decided to just go hand out with him. I sat on the side across from him and sat down.

"Is this seat taken?" I asked.

He was a little shocked that I asked and spoke quietly, "N-no, it's not…"

I was about to start eating but he stopped me, "I-I…I wouldn't eat the food here….my Mom and Dad told me it's not good…."

I looked confused, "Why? It's just spaghetti?"

He gave a breath, "I warned you."

I took a bite of the food and instantly regretted it! IT WAS AWFUL!

"GAH! How do you ruin spaghetti!?" I asked.

"I don't know….here," He handed me half of the sandwich he had with him, "This will probably taste better than that!" He said nicely.

I took it from him, "Thanks Xeta!" I said.

His eyes widened a bit.

"What's wrong?" I asked while taking a bite.

He spoke softly, "How do you know my name?" He asked.

I swallowed the food I was eating and answered, "I heard it in class, didn't you hear mine?"

He shook his head sadly, "No sorry, I was a little spaced out...also my name's spelled with an X, not a Z."

My eyes widened a bit, "Oh! Okay…well my name is Elizabeth, it's good to meet you!"

He smiled softly, "Thanks…it's good to meet you too!"

We then just talked. Really about what we liked and what we liked to do. He liked video games apparently, and watching cartoons. I told him I liked playing with dollhouses, but he replied it was too girly for him, which it was. I asked about the show that his shirt represented and he said it was his favorite show. Something about people fighting and being able to shoot lasers and other crazy attacks. To be honest, even back then it sounded cool!

When we had gotten back to class we still spoke. We had a group project thing and I made sure me and Xeta were in a group. We worked together with each other until the end of the day.

The last bell rung and we were getting our stuff to go back. But after getting my stuff I didn't really know what to do.

"You okay?" Xeta asked me walking up.

"I….I don't know where to go!" I said back.

Xeta gave a smile, "I do!"

He told me to follow him and I did. He showed me back to the area that I first came in and we both waited at the car ramp. We talked for a bit longer until I heard the person calling cars down say my name. My parents drove up and I walked to the car.

Before I did though I turned around, "By Xeta! See you tomorrow!"

He looked stunned, "T-tomorrow?"

"Yeah tomorrow! Were friends right?" I asked.

He grew a smile, "Yeah….were friends."

I then got into the car and my parents drove off with me.

"So how was school hun?" My Mom asked.

I gave a smile, "It was okay, the first half wasn't, but then I made a friend!"

"Really? That's good to have, but remember studying and learning is more important! Got it?" My mom asked.

"Yes Mom," I said back.

But now at the present, I realize how wrong she really. Nothing is more important than the people you meet. Looking back on it, Xeta has just been looking out for me. You know what screw it, Sunny may know something, maybe something even I don't, but if Xeta is hiding something from me, he could be trying to protect me, or not make me worry. Even if people were after me! I could count on him being there for me! Like he always has before!

I need to remember that. I can't let fear make me forget who he is to me, ever since we met he was always looking out for me, and he wouldn't have saved me if he didn't truly care. Whatever he was hiding, so what, I've kept secrets before, I'll let him keep his.

I stopped being worried and was finally able to get peaceful. I listened to my music until I was able to finally go to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16 Prove Your Worth

**Alright! Next chapter is here! I hope you all are enjoying this story! If you are please let me know, I am glad to be writing and bringing enjoyment for you all! Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy!**

Elizabeth POV:

"C'mon! What's not to like about it? I think it would be perfect in the talent show!" Sunny said yammering on.

She has been constantly talking about this one song from an internet show she watches. She said the song would be perfect as a way of dissing my parents and getting back at them for what they have done to me. It was some song called, "This life is mine," it was fitting but…

"Look I like the song too!" I said to her at the breakfast table, "But I have already been practicing this other song from a game! I know it's stupid, but I want to sing it!"

"Alright, but at least think about it, for me? I really would like to see what you could do with it!" She said back.

I had felt a tap on my shoulder, when I turned around I saw Xeta standing there.

"Oh! Hey there! What's up?" I asked.

He laid a note on the table, "Is the project ready?"

I gave him a smile, "I took it to the class this morning! Don't worry!"

He nodded and sat down.

Sunny gave him an odd look, "So Xeta, what were you and Bruce doing?"

I looked at him and he seemed a bit shocked that she would ask that, he just shook his head and pulled out another note, he seemed to be carrying a notepad around with him now.

He handed her the note and she seemed to read it, "So, you just played video games at your place?"

He nodded with a smile.

She took a breath, "Okay! I guess that's all you guys like to do!" She said making a pouty face.

He just laughed in his new growl like laugh he had.

We went on to our classes after that. We finally had to present our project to the class for science. This was kind of stupid, the teacher wanted us to both talk, but because of Xeta's condition, he let him just point out stuff I talked about. Every time she would point out one of the body parts I wrote about I would gesture or point to that part! Anatomy was a strange class, you needed to know all of the body parts. It was simple, yet frustrating when stuff sounded the exact same!

Anyway, after our presentation the class gave their uninterested claps and we sat back down. We followed everything to the letter so we should have come out with a really good grade!

Xeta went on to his classes as usual and so did I! We met back up at lunch again where of course Sunny was still trying to get Xeta to spill something….when he couldn't speak…..she really isn't that bright.

Anyway after that I went to my classes as usual. But interesting enough during last period I got a call from my mom!

I asked my teacher if it was okay and after her acceptance I answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Hey Elizabeth, I wanted to call and tell you that your father and I wanted to go out to eat tonight, but we have some extra money left over, we wanted to do something for you and see if there was anyone you wanted to invite along!" My mom explained.

Wait….They were letting me bring someone!?

"Uh…Does it matter who?" I asked desperately.

"Nope! Bring anyone, boy or girl!" She said.

THIS WAS MY CHANCE! I could prove to my parents that I had someone I like, and I would be able to be around him whenever I wanted! Even when they are around!

"Okay! I know just the person! Thank you mom!" I yelled out.

I made a fool of myself but I just started repeating, "yes" over and over.

After class I rushed out to try to catch up to Xeta! He seemed to be walking towards the forest alone this time. I ran over and stopped him.

"XETA!" I yelled out of breath.

-Woah, hey, what's got you all riled up?- He asked caringly.

"LISTEN! My parents just called and they want to go out to eat tonight! But get this, they said I could invite someone! ANYONE! I want you to come with me!" I yelled.

-Wait, but what if they don't like me!?- He asked.

"That's just it! This will be a chance to show how much you worth to them! Think about it! It's perfect!" I practically screamed.

He gave a breath, -Okay…Let's do it!-

So then we walked over to the car ramp where my mom and dad were both waiting for me in the car. I opened the door and greeted my parents.

"Hi guys!" I said.

"Hey there!" My mom said.

"Hey," My dad greeted.

After I scooched over Xeta climbed into the car. My mom looked back and took a good look at Xeta.

"So….who is your….friend Elizabeth?" My mom asked.

I smiled, "His name is Xeta! I have been his friend for years!"

"Really?" My father intervened, "Why have we not heard about him?"

Maybe because you don't listen to A THING I! "I guess it just crossed my mind!" I said with a smile.

"Okay….it is good to meet you Xeta!" My father said looking back.

Xeta simply waved.

My father looked a bit annoyed, "It's rude not to talk back!"

Xeta seemed to get scared a bit there.

"Dad he!" I tried to say but my mom spoke up.

"Why is he wearing contacts? Honey is he goth or something?" She said with a scowl.

I shook my head, "NO!"

They both shut up when I yelled.

"Xeta can't speak!" I got out.

My mother and father's eyes widened.

"He can't?" My mom said as my dad turned around starting to drive.

I guess my dad knew he was in the wrong.

"No mom he can't, show her Xeta!" I said.

He lifted his neck up for my mom to see the fake scar he had.

"Oh…When did that happen?" She asked.

"About two weeks ago, his house was burned down by an arsonist, he's…..the only one to have survived the fire guys," I explained, "His neck was cut, he can't speak, and his eyes are due to the blood vessels near the neck to burst, his eyes are stuck that way!"

My mom realized her mistake, "Oh….I'm sorry, I didn't know!" She said with actual concern.

Xeta shook his head and smiled calmly.

"It must be hard, I couldn't imagine not being able to speak," My mom said.

Xeta nodded.

My mom spoke again, "So? Was this the friend you were out with last week?" My mom asked me.

I sheepishly grinned, "Y-yeah…"

"Well I will say he has a very interesting taste in fashion! I like it!" My mom said.

My dad turned to her, "You like anything with blue in it," He said.

"That is true! But I do like the look!" My mom said.

My dad and her started getting into a debate about her tastes in clothing.

I lean in to Xeta, "They seem to like you!" I whispered.

He nodded and just stayed quiet.

After about an hour we got to this restaurant called Red Lobster! Really expensive place, but awesome food! Their cheddar biscuits are awesome! AND FREE!

Anyway the drive took an hour to get their, it was a bit a way but worth it! We all got out of the car and started to walk up. Xeta walked up to the door an opened it for us.

"Thank you!" My mom said.

We all walked inside while I silently thanked Xeta.

We sat down at this booth, my parents sat together while Xeta and I sat to together. The waitress brought out our menus and we asked for our drinks. Xeta wrote to the lady that he wanted coca-cola and the lady gave him a weird look.

I spoke up, "He can't speak, please understand!"

Her eyes widened, "Oh! I'm sorry I had no idea….coke right?"

Xeta nodded to her.

So the waiter went off while we started to order. I went for the lobster, my parents did as well. Xeta wrote down his order and the waiter came back with biscuits and we gave her our orders. Xeta handed her his note.

She smiled, "Good choice!"

She walked off while we all drank and ate the biscuits. Xeta's necklace was showing and my dad noticed it.

"So…You're religious?" He asked.

Xeta looked up, then back down holding his necklace. He nodded as a reply.

"So you believe that your family went up to heaven, and is with everyone else?" He asked.

Xeta just nodded.

My father shook his head, "I don't know why people think that way, religion just really causes problems, the way I see it! People just think of religion as a way to help them feel better about the bad things that happen in life, that just because you're religious it will always just be cured, not happening. When you die, that's it! There ain't no heaven, and there ain't no hell! You just live, every day, and you have to work to enjoy your time! You wont be seeing me feeling sorry for those people who just rely on their god to save them!"

Xeta looked down sadly, he looked extremely upset about this.

"Honey!" My mom said quietly.

"What?! It's the truth, in my opinion religion just causes too many problems, and if god really was around then why isn't he helping those who truly can't help themselves, like with cancer and such!?" He continued.

"DAD!" I said quietly but with force.

He seemed to shut up after that.

"Maybe you didn't know but he does believe in that, he lost his family, it's a little insensitive to say they are just gone!" I said to him.

He looked at my mom and back to Xeta, "Look, I'm sorry, it's just how I feel okay? There is just a lot that keep me from believing, you understand right?"

Xeta looked up and gave a slight smile while nodding. He took his notepad and wrote something. He then handed it to my dad.

He read it over, "So you're not mad?"

Xeta shook his head.

My dad looked appalled, "Huh, it's funny, you usually don't see people who are this understanding y'know?"

Xeta nodded back at him.

After a couple more minutes of conversing and the waitress came back with our food! As I said my family and I ordered our usual lobster dish, but Xeta had this pizza that seemed to have lobster on it!

That was on the appetizer section, but it seemed pretty big in it's own right, at least for one person!

We all enjoyed our food while Xeta kept eating the cheddar biscuits. Wont lie, my family and I do the same exact thing! My mother had asked Xeta a couple of questions about his likes and dislikes during dinner. He must have given them honest answers.

They seemed to figure out that he liked video games from the conversation and asked why he liked them. Apparently it's just a fun stress relief, something to do if your stressed or just want to have fun!

They asked him other questions, such as what his personal opinion on politics were and other things! It seemed that they were trying to measure him, seeing what type of person he was, did my mom and dad want me to bring the person I liked? I don't know if they did or not, but overall they seemed to really like him! My plan was working, if I can get this to work, once I move out they might not have a problem if I moved in with him! Hopefully this goes good, I really want this to work!

After dinner we paid, but Xeta paid for himself, my parents seemed to get a good impression from that. After that we got our leftovers to go and walked outside. My dad and Xeta walked a bit further than us because my dad was discussing something with him. My mom however stopped me though.

"Hey," She said.

"Yeah? What's up?" I asked.

My mom gave a smile, "I really like him!"

My eyes widened, "R-really?"

My mother nodded, "I love his attitude, I love his personality, I love his views, everything about him is great!"

"Even though he can't speak?" I asked.

"Even though he can't he seems to still be able to communicate, who cares!" My mom said.

"Really?" I asked.

My mom looked at me, "Have you dated this boy?"

I blushed a little, hiding it from her wouldn't help, it was obvious I liked him, "Y-yes…"

My mother however smiled, "Well he seems great for you! I think he's perfect! Even better if you marry you both would be great for running the business!"

My eyes opened, "Wait…what?"

"Yep! Think about it, you being the successor, and with his kind and caring personality, added on with people will feel sorry for him that he can't speak, it's perfect! I couldn't think of a better way for you to run the company!" She explained.

I was really confused by all of this….they planned this, they just wanted to see who would lead the company with me? They didn't care…

I looked over and Xeta had looked over to me. I think he heard what she said, those ears of his are something else. I heard his voice in my head.

-Look, just give them what they want, tell them that I know about the company and would be happy to join, just give them what they want!- He said.

"Y-yeah! I've talked to him about it! He said he would love to join as a part of the company with me!" I said.

"Really?! Incredible! This is great news! It's a good thing too, once you finish high school we will begin to show you how the company works, and have you work there with us, until we feel you are ready to take over!" She said.

See, running a company wouldn't seem all that bad, but the thing is that she hasn't even asked me what I want! Sure I might be rich, but every time I hear this it just pisses me off! THEY DON'T CARE! They don't care what I think, they don't care what Xeta thinks! They think a good guy act will make Xeta see them as good, no, Xeta too smart for you too, he isn't as manipulated as you think he is!

"Yeah cool, let's head on okay?" I said.

"Sure," My mom replied.

We walked over to the car where my parents got into the front seat and me and Xeta got in the back. It wasn't dark just yet, thankfully. As they drove Xeta spoke to me through telepathy.

-I can sense them, they're faking their kindness, behind it is malice, deceit, manipulation, you were right about them,- I said.

I turned my head to face him and he was giving me a serious look.

-Don't give in to what they want, don't let them push you into something you don't want, I think you are fine the way you are, got it?- He said.

I nodded quietly with a smile on my face. Thankfully he understood.

My parents asked where Xeta lived and he gave them a note, apparently it said he just lived close by where we live so he could just walk home afterwards. Very good cover up to be honest.

After we got home Xeta waved to me and started to walk off. Once my parents walked inside I saw him pick up speed, wonder if I could ever get that fast?

Anyway, after I went inside and got settled in my room for the night I got a text from Xeta.

It read, "You were right about them, sensing lies is a good ability to have."

I texted back, "Wish I could do that."

"It was weird, I was able to learn all of this as if I had done it before, but hey it's still good to have," He texted back.

I replied, "Well, I hope you enjoyed it!"

"I did! I haven't had Red Lobster in forever! Last time I went was with my parents, it was a good reminder!" He texted.

That made me a little upset, I haven't asked him in a while about that, "So…how are you holding up on that?"

It took him a minute to reply, "Well….I mean….I have you don't I?"

That comment made me smile, but, "You should still have them," I said back.

"I had to learn when to move on….you kind of taught me that…..I need to appreciate what I still have!" He said.

I smiled, "I'm glad to see you're coping well," I said.

"As good as I can," He replied.

I texted, "Well thankfully we don't have much to worry about for a bit, no new projects or anything like that!"

I waited for a reply, "True! Maybe I can get a decent nights rest XD"

I replied, "Same here…okay talk to you later!"

"Bye!" He replied.

I walked into my bathroom and got cleaned up, brushed my teeth, and got on more comfortable clothes for sleep. Thankfully this was the weekend, I was so happy to catch a break!

I got into bed and got my covers over me, helping myself go into a deep sleep, hopefully I wouldn't wake up till noon or something!


	17. Chapter 17 Karver

(Xeta POV)

After that very interesting meeting with Elizabeth's parents I went back to my cave and finally went to sleep. A few days of school passed by then, it was the weekend now. Nothing really happened those days, spent time with Elizabeth and Bruce, was yammered on by Sunny, and even had another spar with Terry.

Funny thing is Terry wanted to know what my fighting style was, it was something my dad taught me. I showed him on my phone what it was called and how it worked, but mine was a more relaxed and modified version of it because of my new body. Basically it is a way to defend yourself, and find openings against your opponent. The style is called Wing Chun. It still influences my fighting, but is not the main focus since I usually use a sword, claws, and explosive force from my paws; but even still I am able to apply all that with the fighting style, having an amazing offense with a pretty good defense. But hey, who needs defense when you know how to dodge.

End of story Terry did get better, and it might help him out if he ever gets into trouble. Anyway this was the weekend, and I was just hanging out in my cave after a successful hunt. After I got cleaned up back at the waterfall and headed back I saw I head a text from Bruce.

"Yo, what you up to?" It said.

I texted back, "Nothing, just got done hunting, you?"

"Eh usual, that means ab-so-lute-ly nothin XD" He replied.

I rolled my eyes and texted, "Thought so, anyway, what else?"

"Well I was wondering, you done any research on that lead?" He asked.

Lead? OH! He meant Karver, "Yeah, Karver, near the train station, in those old factory buildings, any chance he could be there tonight?"

"Have no idea, why?" Bruce replied.

"I might go scope out the place, and see what exactly we're up against," I texted.

"WTF ARE YOU CRAZY!?" He texted back, "YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THAT WOULD BE?!"

"Dumb-to-the-A&%, that is the reason I am going, is to check how dangerous it is!" I texted.

"Oh…Y'know I'll take that L," He said.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead, catch you later, oh also, DO NOT TEXT, can take a chance," I said.

"Dude, put your phone on silent," He said.

"…..I'll take that L," I texted, "See ya."

"Later," He said.

After that I prepared the deer meat from my hunt and got out a paper plate and some steak sauce from my fridge. I wanted try out what it would be like with steak sauce so hopefully it's good!

And to little surprise it was, steak sauce is great on everything. After my dinner and drinking some Coke-a-Cola to go along with it I got ready to head out. Got my coat and my sword ready. I wasn't going to bring a gun right now, this was a stealth mission.

I looked outside my cave and saw it was sunset, which wasn't too dark because of my new eyes, even at night I could see very clearly. I headed out and went back to the school area. I pulled out my phone and looked at the map of the town, the old train station was east from the school.

I made my way as fast as I could to that area, it was a pretty good bit away, but thankfully with my speed I got their pretty quickly. By the time I did get there, sunset was still happening. These buildings had been abandoned, a bunch of old companies that needed to relocate because of how big they were getting. I remembered passing by on car trips and asking my parents about them, kind of made sense why this guy Karver was here.

Seemed like no one was here at the time, which made sense, you wouldn't come here during the day if you were hiding something. Was Karver like a messenger, or something more?

I started checking out the whole area, looking inside buildings, check for scouting points, places we could take out people from afar, safe areas for cover, and all sorts. If it came to it we needed an escape route, by any chance I could just grab Bruce and run if a confrontation happened.

….What was I doing? It was like I was already planning for war or something!? This was actually dangerous! This wasn't a game, I was already thinking about killing people…..I needed to actually think this through, I'm not here to kill no one, I'm here to make sure no one has to suffer like I did.

I started looking for much safer places for us to hide, or maybe even take Karver by surprise, but it didn't really matter because I needed to know when and where he would show, if he did at all.

After a bit more searching on this tower on one of the buildings it was night-time. I was checking to see if this spot was a good spot for watching and you know what, I didn't know it would be until I heard cars. I quickly looked over the railing to see cars pull up, they seemed to be black Hummers, and black sports cars.

All of the cars parked and I saw about maybe twenty to thirty people here. They all conversed for a minute and all walked into the building I was on top of.

I quietly maneuvered to the skylight I came from and jumped to the walkways above them. I took a position to where I could stay still and stay quiet while listening in. As I waited for them to start whatever they were going to do one guy looks odd.

He was in a fur coat, looked to be in his forties, had curled, brown hair, and a five-o-clock shadow. He seemed rather calm out of the others who looked scared s*&^less.

I waited for things to start and another guy, who looked just as bad walked up to the man with the fur coat.

"Well Karver! Been a while, what was the point of our meeting here?" That one guy said to the fur coat man.

SO IT WAS KARVER! I was right, now I know where he comes to!

"You know why, you f*&^ed up one of my orders, and you know how I hate for things to go wrong!" He said in a sinister gruff voice.

"Oh now, now, look, I didn't f&^% up your order, bring him here!" Two of his men shoved this guy who looked beaten up into the middle, "He's the one who f*&^ed it up!"

The guy they brought out looked to be in his twenties, he was zip tied, and bruised.

Karver walked up to the guy, looking down at him because of his height, then turned to the other man, "How long has this kid been working for you?"

"Eh, give or take a few weeks," The man said.

He grabbed the kids hands, pulled out a knife, and cut him free, "Get behind me," Karver said.

The kid quickly got behind him and looked at his employer.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you are doing?!" The other man said.

Karver looked at him, "Listen here, you gave this kid one of my orders, which was meant for your best men to do, then you beat the living shit out of him when he f*&^s it up!? OF COURSE IT WOULD HAPPEN!"

"Well, he's your culprit! His fault!" The other man said.

"Nah, this ain't his fault, if he had been trained properly for the job, like your better men are, then maybe he could have done it; but no, you sent a kid, who just started working for you, on one of the most important jobs I have, that is not only disrespectful to me, but to your own employees," Karver explained.

He turned to look at his men, "You guys get that kid in the car, clean him up, and get him some food and water, looks like he hasn't eaten in days!"

"Now wait just a minute! I gave him to you to punish, not to take from me an employee!" The other man said.

"He doesn't work for you anymore, you didn't give any of your employees respect, so none of them work for you anymore!" Karver said.

"What are you talking about, they still work for me, and I can give the orders for them to kill you right now!" The man threatened.

"Oh? Well see that would work for you, but from what I heard you've been fired," Karver said.

"I have not been fired, I am still the-" Before the man could finish Karver pulled out a revolver and executed him on the spot.

Everyone in the room gasped, stayed quiet, or backed off, and I did the third option.

Karver got down on one knee and looked down at the man, "Now what was that? You said you were still something, but you stopped talking all the sudden, guess we wont know will we?"

This guy didn't care did he?

"Now then, who here was his best man?" Karver asked.

One man who was baled stepped up, "I am."

"Okay, you are in charge now, I will put more trust in you them him, but don't worry, it wasn't just this screw up that I killed him, see I knew he had been holding out on some of the money from the jobs, taking more than he was supposed to have; as long as that doesn't happen, we'll be just peachy, wont we?" Karver asked.

"I wont cross you sir, I see the punishment for it," The bald guy said.

He turned to his men, "Don't end up like this piece of s&^t right here! You got that? Now, I better see my next job handled better, and that kid works for me now, I will teach him how things work," Karver and the rest of the men all walked outside of the building which I followed through the sky light to see what was happening.

Karver spoke to some of the men that were with the dead guy, "Now listen, we will be coming back Wednesday night, we still need to discuss more here, remember."

Karver then got into his car where the kid was and his driver drove them off. I saw that some of his other men were also picking up the dead guys body and loading it into one of the trucks. Damn they are thorough.

After everyone got loaded back up and shipped out I took that moment to finally take a breather. Holy hell, it wasn't just what that man did that scared me, it was him in general. He was scarier than that man who killed my family, where as the guy I fought was psychotic, out of his mind, this man was ruthless, unmoved, and the worst part is that through all of that he can tell what is really going on from a glance, he's smart. He can see something, analyze it, and neutralize it.

If I'm going to take him I'm going to have to come up with a way better strategy. I went back inside the building and took a better look around, not many opening for windows, or areas we could shoot through, that's out. Not many areas for cover or escape, that's out too. Wait…..I took a look around again, and saw that there were many pillars in the building. If I could set a trap I could scare them into saying what I want.

But the problem with that is I wouldn't be able to get explosive charges or anything trap worthy…..FAKES!

I could get Bruce to help me make fake c4 charges that they would believe to be real. And if they call the bluff I will hold up a fake detonator! And if all else fails, reveal myself to see if that scares them enough, I don't think I could take them all on, but maybe I could scare enough of them to where they wouldn't fight if that came to it.

Alright, escape, escape, well for starters if I get my information then I can leave with no problem. But then if I get attacked. If Bruce was here I would have him on top of one of the other buildings, cover me till I got to him, then we both get out of here without a scratch. That seems like the best bet, I don't know how well his men's aim is, but it would definitely be a better shot then traveling on the ground. Either I go through the door or the skylight, that seems to be the best bet, but the door was a safe number two.

Alright I think I did enough, needed to head back. I pulled out my phone and checked the time, it was twelve at night. Hopefully Bruce would still be awake so I sent him a text while I started to walk back to the cave.

After a minute of walking I got a reply, "Yeah? What's up man? Or….nvm."

I got a laugh and texted, "You were about to say dog, weren't you?"

"…..Yeah XD," he replied.

I texted again, "Yo get this, I found Karver!"

"No way, how?" He replied.

"Scoped out the place, they were there tonight, btw, that dude is a cold SOB," I replied.

"Really?..." He replied.

"He freakin' executed someone, scared the hell out of me," I said.

"You for real?...F*&^, what have you gotten into man?" He said.

"Hell if I know anymore," I texted.

I kept walking as I waited for another text, "So what's the plan?"

I stopped to text him, "He's gonna be there again Wednesday, I think we trick him into thinking we have the place set to blow, by chance do you know where we can get blinking red lights and light sounding alarms?"

"I think I could get some lights…..BETTER YET! We go buy a bunch of alarm clocks and make them look like c4!"

I gave a smile, "Damn, nice man, that sounds perfect, we probably need battery-powered ones though!"

I kept walking waiting for another reply, "Can do! Don't worry, we got this man, so Wednesday right?"

"Wednesday," I texted.

"Alright man, you sure you're up for this? I keep telling you that you don't have to do this!" I replied.

"I got your back man, it's what friends are for, an besides you bought me a gun! Might as well have a reason to use it!" Bruce replied.

"But last time you fired it you got scared :)" I sent.

"I'll get out of that, don't worry!" He texted back.

"Yeah….Hey I wanted to thank you, I don't have many allies or people to call friends right now, I'm glad to call you one," I sent.

I waited a minute, "Same here friend, you've been good to me, I won't let you down."

"Thanks, see ya later!" I said back.

"Cya," He replied. I then put my phone in my pocket and rushed back to my cave. After maybe a good five minutes of running I made it back. I ran inside the entrance and before I entered my main room I stopped.

"HEY GUYS! I'M H…home…." I forgot, for just a brief second I did, but I forgot that I was alone.

I just looked down, it's been a while, but I realized how alone I really was, no one, just me. Even if I played a game I wouldn't really be able to talk to the people on there, for the simple fact that I can't. I sometimes feel like I might lose my mind, that the emptiness would just take me, that I would give up.

I keep realizing that I am stupid for thinking like that, I have many reasons to still live. I will keep on, but y'know what! Time to play some games! Mario kart here I come!

Video games have always been a hobby of mine, using them as a way to cope, and handle situations. When I was younger I was teased a lot for not having a common name. I really had nothing to get my mind off of it, then I was at a GameStop and I tried one of their games, I was sold. That got me out of a rut I didn't think I could get out of. Believe it or not games were an art form, just like writing or drawing, and they can bring joy with what they bring. They don't have to be violent or full of blood to be fun, like a lot of people believe.

But still, I just do it because it just keeps me from thinking I'm alone. I played Mario Kart for just a bit, ate a late night snack, then finally went to my night sleep…..I think I might go see Elizabeth tomorrow…


	18. Chapter 18 What am I?

I woke up the next morning with a stretch, trying to wake up all of my body parts, including my tail. I threw the covers off me and got up to get some breakfast. I had some left over deer from my last hunt but I needed to get more soon. Maybe I would just go to the grocery store, maybe get some steak or something, deer only goes so far in the taste department.

I walked over to my nightstand and checked my phone. Only noon, still had plenty of time today. I then went to youtube on my phone and looked up some people to watch. Just people playing games, don't know why I enjoy it so much. I watched the video as I ate my breakfast or lunch, don't know, don't care.

After my breakfast I grabbed my sword and sheath, strapping them on me. Then I went over to my coat rack and put on my coat. After all that was done I picked up my toothbrush and toothpaste then headed over to the local park while having on my disguise, couldn't be too careful. Once I got there I headed into the restrooms and brushed my teeth.

After stopping by the cave to drop off my stuff I decided to just hang out around town. I went to a couple of stores, such as Gamestop and Academy. To be honest I really went into academy just to see what cool things they have there, and I don't mean just weapons. They have cool paintball gear, and even this cool gold simulator.

It was sad though, golfing was one of my dad's pass times. He would enjoying golfing and I would go with him just to drive the golf cart…. Until one time where I flipped the cart. Anyway I just enjoyed myself for a while, but I decided I didn't really want to be alone. I texted Elizabeth to see if she wanted to meet up at the mall. She replied that she would ask her parents and to wait a minute. After that "minute" which was like five to ten, I got a reply.

"OKAY! After ten minutes of arguing I finally got them to agree," She texted.

"Great!" I replied.

"So just meet you there?" She asked.

"Yep! See ya soon!" I said.

I quickly ran over to the mall at a decent pace, and I mean that where I wont look like a superhuman to others. Thankfully the mall was close to Academy so it only took me a minute to get there. I texted to see what entrance she was going through and she said the one near the theatre. Maybe we could go see a movie during this, would be neat.

After waiting at the entrance for a bit I saw her parents car pull up and she got out. Her mom had driven her. I heard a comment from her mom that she tried to hide but didn't realize how good my hearing was. She said something about why I wore the coat I wear all the time. Elizabeth gave an excuse by saying that it was a memento from my parents, nice save.

After her mom drove off she walked up to me.

"Hey Xeta! How're you doing?" She asked.

-Fine, just was out and would rather not do it alone,- I said through telepathy.

I saw her tense up when I spoke, "Well good, um sorry for that, just sometimes the mind voice freaks me out."

I laughed a little, -It's fine, it's normal for you to feel like that.-

"Really? I thought you would be pissed?" She asked as we started to walk.

-Nah, nothing really phases me, not even when others give me weird looks,- I said.

She looked concerned, "They do?"

-Yeah, but hey if you saw someone with a giant scar on their neck with red eyes I think you would be weary as well!- I said.

She calmed down a bit, "Guess that makes sense."

-It's not like everyone does it, and even if they do it's just a look of surprise more then disgust, which is kind of cool, even though I am not a fan of it, it's interesting being the center of attention,- I said.

"Really?" She asked as we entered.

-Yep, it's funny what you can hear with these ears, I've heard some kids ask their mom's or dad's how they could get red colored eyes, and start begging for them,- I said.

She laughed, "Really? That's kind of cute."

-Yeah it is,- As we started walking I was getting a couple of stares from people, as per norm, but I really just brushed it off.

-So any ideas on what to do first?- I asked.

"I…. I know you wont like it but I kind of want to check out this Bath and Body works place, if you don't mind?" She asked.

-Not at all,- I replied.

"What? No argument? At all?" She asked.

-Nope,- I shook my head, -My mom used to take me in there all the time when we came here, and it's not a bad shop if I'm being honest.-

"Okay, let's go!" She said grabbing my paw and dragging me to the store.

Once inside she started looking around and checking out their spring scents.

"Oh this one is nice!" Elizabeth said smelling one of the soaps they ha, "Here, see?"

She held the bottle and tried to take a sniff, and immediately regretted it. I had to back off just to not choke.

She seemed mad, "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad!"

I coughed while speaking through telepathy, -No, no, it's too strong, I forgot, new sense of smell!-

She then realized her mistake, "Oh my god, I am so sorry!"

-No, it's fine, it's fine, I should've remembered myself,- I said with a laugh.

After looking around the store for a minute we headed out.

"Alright, where to next?" She asked.

-Uh… I don't know, hey by the way when do you have to go?- I said.

"Oh, no time really, just my parents will pick me up when I call, so anytime," She said.

-Oh! Do you wanna see a movie and get dinner then?- I asked.

She seemed concerned, "What!? You don't have to do all of that for me!"

-It's fine, I want to,- I said.

She was reluctant but agreed to go along with it, "Are you sure you have enough money?" She asked.

-I have plenty, I have a huge saving account now…. But it did come at a price,- I said.

"Really? What do you…. Oh," She realized.

-Life insurance, all of it went to me, since I was the last living relative, I just told them to give all they could in cash and keep the rest,- I explained.

"I see, sorry," She said.

-It's fine, it's not your fault, and you being here helps,- I said.

She smiled, "Well, where do you want to go next?"

I thought for a moment and realized where, -Fye!-

"Fye?" She asked.

-Yep! This place sells stuff from comics to manga and anime, and they have a huge selection of music and soundtracks!- I said.

That got her interested, "OH! Let's go! I want to see what other songs I could sing at the talent show!"

-Alright then!- I said.

We headed to the far end of the mall where the store was located. Fye was a really cool store, I loved coming in here every time I came, I would always enjoy just seeing all the items that were from anime or based off anime, and the POP Figures were cool too!

Elizabeth walked with me for a minute, checking out things from shows and anime, even noticing some old childhood memories like mickey mouse hats and such. Also other Disney things like Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, and so much more. She even recognized some stuff from Attack on Titan. After looking over what they had and skipping over comics, cause we don't care or worry about that, and we headed over to the music. I started looking through what they had.

-Hm, Eminem,- I looked through more, -Twenty One Pilots,- Looked a little more, -Trash,- I said looking at a Justin Beiber soundtrack.

"Oh come on, he's not that bad," Elizabeth said.

-Now is this your opinion or mine?- I asked jokingly.

"Well I didn't say he was good did I?" She said with a smirk.

-Thankfully we can agree on that,- I said laughing.

"So Xeta, what music do you listen to anyway?" She asked me.

-Huh? Oh well, I don't really keep up with the up to date stuff, I have a few favorites from years back and some new ones, but I really do just like music that comes out of games and shows, they do a better job then most of the people out now,- I explained.

She agreed, "Well I can see that, most of the time on the radio you can't find anything good, just gibberish, but at least Twenty One Pilots is pretty good."

-Personally I think they're great,- I said.

She looked down, "So… I might not do the song you suggested for me at the talent show…"

-Hm? Why's that?- I asked.

"Well, Sunny got me this really good one, from this show on the internet, it's called, "This Life is Mine," I think it's good, and I think it's the song I'm gonna go with," She said.

-Sounds great!- I replied with a smile.

"You, think it's a good idea?" She asked.

-Yeah, I've heard the song before, I think you will do great!- I explained, -Have you watched that show it comes from? Rwby?- I asked.

"No, just Sunny told me about it," She explained.

-How about we watch that at some point?- I asked.

She smiled, "Sounds like a plan! What's it about?"

-Eh… Kind of hard to explain, I'll show you the trailers later,- I said.

After killing about an hour in Fye it would around six or so.

-So want to get dinner?- I asked.

"Sure? But ah… I don't-" I cut her off.

-I've got you covered, just let's figure out what you want to order first!- I said happily.

"Thanks Xeta…," She said.

-No problem,- I said back.

We went to the food court and looked around to see what we wanted. It didn't take me long to settle on the pizza place they had there. Elizabeth took a bit longer than me, but was able to decide on what she wanted. It was a Japanese food stand and she settled on teriyaki. After I ordered her plate and we decided where to sit, I went over and got my pizza and drinks. This place made giant slices of pizza, and I got the biggest slice of peperoni I could get.

After sitting down and taking a few bites of pizza I asked a question I really wanted to ask.

-So uh, do you actually know what I am?- I asked.

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.

-Well… I mean, I know I am some kind of canine, but what exactly am I, like what would I be called?- I asked.

"Well…. From what I have seen you look like a jackal," She said.

-A.. Jackal?- I asked taking another bite.

"Yeah, it's a wild dog…. I did a bit of research and looked at what canines resembled you, and well, that one looked very close, the head shape at least," She explained.

-So…. A wild dog? I guess it makes sense,- I said snickering.

"Yeah well, you are pretty different from how it looks, with the blue fur…. Wait, I know that you are a jackal, but you might be a new type, and I think I have a name for it!" She said.

-Really? Shoot, what you thinking?- I asked after I finished another bite of pizza.

"How about, a Sapphire Jackal!" She named me.

-A Sapphire Jackal? Hm…. I guess it makes sense, with the blue fur and all…. Y'know, I like it!- I said.

"I think it's great, I totally didn't spend a night thinking up nick names or anything…" She said with a worried expression.

I laughed, -Sure you didn't.-

We then proceeded to eat our food, enjoying what we each ordered for ourselves. Afterward she went to the restroom to clean up. I sat there waiting for her to come back, taking sips of my drink when one of the mall cops walked up to me.

"Hello there," She said.

I waved.

"Can't you speak?" She asked.

I shook my head and pointed to my scar.

"Oh…. Well how old are you? Because if you are under sixteen without a parent you can't be in here," She said.

I hated this, oh great idea, kick kids out if they're alone, I heard one story about a kid around ten years old getting kidnapped because a mall cop kicked them out. I knew what was coming.

"Can I see some ID please?" She asked.

I smirked and got it out, it surprised her and she looked shocked.

"Oh… Sorry, here," She said handing it back.

I still scowled at her.

"Sorry for the trouble," She said walking away.

I let her leave and Elizabeth came back.

"What was that about?" She asked concerned.

-Mall cop, trying to kick me out for being underage,- I said.

"Jeez, that have to be sixteen year old rule is stupid, they just hate dealing with teens," She said.

-Yeah, anyway we have a little while, want to go catch a movie?- I asked.

"Sure, what you think?" She asked.

-I don't know, I know you don't like scary movies, so what are you thinking?- I asked.

"I heard some good things about this one movie, apparently about a lady who is a lab experiment, apparently her body is like robotic or something, I don't know, it seemed cool," She explained.

-Sure, I'm up for it!- I said.

We went to check out the times for the movie and saw another started in about ten minutes, perfect. That gave us just enough time to get candy, popcorn and drinks. We went into the theatre and waited for the movie to start.

We talked for a bit before hand er…. Never mind. We talked for a bit eating our snacks while waiting for the movie. Once it did start we quieted down and let the movie play. It was a good movie, plot was decent, but I felt in some areas in the movie it dragged along a bit. The action was really good as well, most the fight scenes were well coria graphed. Elizabeth seemed to enjoy the movie too.

I checked my phone and saw it was nine, we had school tomorrow so I told Elizabeth she should call her parents now. She called and she said they would be here in just a bit. Since we had nothing better to do we talked.

-So yeah, I thought the movie was good,- I said.

"Yeah it was…. Thanks for inviting me," She said.

I smiled, -It was no problem.-

"You don't have to do all this for me, you know that," She said.

I looked at her, -Why not? I don't see a reason not to, why not spend my money on something worth while?-

She smiled, "I'm… Just happy…"

-Really? About what?- I asked.

"I keep hearing about how everyone treats you, makes rumors, and conspires…. But, I knew, I knew that they were all wrong, about everything… So not only thank you for inviting me out here, but thanks for giving me proof," She explained.

-Proof of what?- I asked.

She slowly walked over to me keeping her smile, she pulled up my hood, "Turn off your disguise, just real quick."

I obliged since there weren't many people around and let it go, where she could see the real me and looked down at me while I had my hood up.

She crouched a little, put her right hand on my cheek, then kissed the other.

If it could be seen she would have noticed me blushing madly.

"Thanks, for giving me proof that after all this, you are still you!" She said with a smile.

I smiled happily and turned back off my disguise, -You're… You're welcome!-

After I said that her parents pulled up.

"I'll see you at school Xeta, see ya!" She said getting into the car.

I waved happily as they drove off.

Once they did I quickly ran back to the school and into the forest where the cave was. When I got back I started screaming and jumping with joy!

"SHE KISSED ME! SHE ACTUALLY KISSED ME!" I screamed.

As I celebrated I felt my phone go off. I pulled it out of my pocket and saw I got a text from Bruce.

"Hey so I got the clocks for Wednesday, meet me after school to pick them up!" He texted.

"Can do," I replied to him.

Alright, Wednesday… let's hope this goes well.


	19. Chapter 19 For the ones I love (Part 1)

It was Wednesday, today was the day. I called Bruce over the previous night and we were able to set up our fake bombs. We used come tin foil wrapped around paper towel rolls and tape them together around the clocks. It was very easy, but they were noticeable. Thankfully however that place was dark as hell so it wouldn't be very easy. Hopefully they would buy into the trap, and hopefully not backfire.

Thankfully Bruce and I can easily walk back to the school on foot, didn't take us long, maybe twenty minutes. On the way we talked about how if things went south I would literally run us out of there, f*** the car.

Once we were at the school I went to the lunch room to hang out with Elizabeth. Sunny was sitting next to her however. I sat down and waved at them.

"Hey Xeta!" Elizabeth said.

"What's happening?" Sunny asked.

I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Well guess nothing then, as usual here," Sunny said.

"Well we did have some fun this weekend!" Elizabeth said.

"Oh so you two finally tied the knot?" She said with a smirk.

"WHAT!? NO! We went to the movies!" Elizabeth explained.

"Oh? That so? Let's ask Xeta," Sunny said with a smirk.

I was blushing madly, but I nodded to agree with Elizabeth.

"Ok shy birds, I believe you," Sunny said with a laugh.

We both gave a breath and continued to talk, I used my notes as they used their voices. We told Sunny about the movie and such and even talked about what we did like eating, and the funny security guard incident.

Once that was done the bell rang we went on to class, doing work as per usual. Around fouth period my teacher was once again worried about me. Mrs. Leonhart I have had for two years, not because I failed, just that is the teacher I was assigned. She was extremely kind to me, and would look at me as a son….and the reason why is because she lost hers. It's sad, but I try to help her as well, at least, the best I can. I give her notes assuring her that I really was fine, but she was still worried, I was like a son to her, she lost me that would be two sons down…

Fourth period ended, and I moved on to lunch. Where I sat with Sunny and Elizabeth again. We talked, but just about stupid things, like videos and such.

The next few classes were very simple. Same stuff every day, and after school was done I met up with Bruce again.

-Bruce you ready?- I asked.

"You know it, let's get what we need from these punks," He exclaimed.

We started walking and once I felt far enough away I turned off my disguise.

"Seeing you like that is still really awesome, you know that right?" He said.

-Yeah I guess, like superheroes in cartoons we used to watch,- I said.

We continued to walk but I heard a weird clicking sound from a distance. I stopped and looked around for it.

"What is it?" Bruce asked.

I looked for a minute more and didn't hear anything else, -Nothing, must've been an animal or something,- I said.

"Alright then, let's keep moving," Bruce said and I followed a second later.

* * *

(Elizabeth POV)

I was heading to the car ramp when I got a text on my phone, it was from Sunny. It said that there was a really cool party going on with her photography club, and she wanted me to join her. I got to my parents car and told them about it. They agreed and I said I would call if I needed a ride.

After heading out I went to Sunny's class. They had a whole buffet set up and everything, and they had a stand set up for an announcer.

"Elizabeth! So glad you could come!" Sunny said.

"Thanks, but what was the special occasion?" I asked.

"Well I just thought I would invite my friend over, and also I have something to show you after this, is that okay?" She asked.

"Um sure, I got no problems with it!" I said back.

"Great! Now come on, let's get some food before it's gone!" Sunny exclaimed.

We both got our plates, they had pizza, popcorn, and some other snacks. I got as much as I want and we ate at one of their big tables.

Some of the people here were really nice, but they were obsessed with photos. They were all over the place, some were very beautiful though. Some were of the people in class and others were of people who looked to be the years before.

"So what's the whole party about anyway?" I asked.

"Well it's like a contest in short, they decided who made the best photo this year, and I think I won!" Sunny said.

"You think so? Well we'll have to see, wont we, who know maybe I will win!" I said jokingly.

"Smarta**, no wonder I picked you as a friend," She said.

After eating we everyone started to set up the ceremony. Their teacher got on stage, "Attention everyone, attention!"

We all looked at the teacher and waited for her to speak.

"I would like to thank all of you for coming here today, parents alike, today we will give awards out to our very special winners of the photography contest! Now please understand that if you don't win that was no the purpose of the contest, it was all in fun, for everyone to show what they like to take pictures of! Also we will hopefully see you all go on to be professional photographers! Now for our third place winner we have, Jimmy Sanders!"

A boy stood up and went and got his bronze medal, his parents taking photos, it was really sweet. Then the teacher started to talk again.

"Our second place winner, we have, Ryan Hidia!" She said.

Another boy went up and got his second place medal.

The teacher spoke again, "And our first place winner, the one we all have been waiting for is…SUNNY NORAY!"

Sunny's face beamed with happiness and went up as fast as she could and got her gold medal. She seemed happy at first but then got sad. I had wondered why but I think I realized it, her parents weren't here.

She sat back down with me and we continued to eat, but she just stayed quiet.

* * *

(Xeta POV)

We were at the warehouses. We hid the car in the forest right next to the place. Once we got there I made sure we found a good spot for Bruce to camp out at with his rifle. We climbed a ladder to the top of one of the buildings and I set him up. We were on like a catwalk thing and I was talking to him.

-Bruce I want you to listen, and I don't want to sound like a father or old man when I say this, ok?- I said.

"Alright, just tell me ok," He said.

-These people are not just two dudes with weapons, this is like an army, they've all got guns, and they will not hesitate to shoot,- I said.

"Well I figured that much Xeta!" He said.

-Bruce, if these people are working with who I think they are, they wont just kill you, they will torture you, humiliate you, and make you suffer, until the day you die,- I said with all the seriousness I could.

He seemed to be a little more on edge.

-You needed to hear this, because I'm not gonna lie to you, you will not fire, you hear me? The only time your allowed to is if things go south, and they might. Bruce, if things go south, I will need you to,- I sat a box of bullets next to him, -Make every, shot, count.-

He stayed quiet when I told them that.

-You can back out if you want man, there is no sh- I was stopped.

He put a bullet into the chamber, and gave me a serious look.

"Make every, shot, count," He said back to me.

I smiled at him, -Thanks for having my back man.-

"I feel like I need to do this too, if these guys possibly take my family, then I would feel responsible, I know about them, so let's do this, get those bombs set up, I'm ready," He said.

-Gotcha!- I said.

I quickly jumped off the roof and ran to the warehouse. I had tap and the fake bombs on me. I grabbed one and taped it onto one of the pillars. After that I took another and went up to the second floor, jumped to a pole, and tapped it to that.

I then went around and climbed to the top of the roof, setting one up there. I then went back inside and started to place more of them.

Once all of them were in place I then turned on all the clocks. Everything was set and ready. I went back to the other building and jumped up to Bruce.

-Ok how was that?- I asked.

"Well you got that done in about thirty minutes, it's six thirty," He said.

-Alright good to hear, but they will probably be showing up later, and for that, I left a coke and some deer jerky in the car!- I said.

"Shoot man!" He threw me his keys which I caught, "Go get it! I'm starved!"

-You got it!- I exclaimed.

I quickly went back to the car, unlocked it, got the drink and jerky, and went back to the roof.

-Alright! Here we go!- I said.

"Let's go!" He took some jerky and tried it, "God d***! Man that is amazing!"

-Well that's what happens when you make it fresh!- I said.

I then made us some drinks.

"Ah coca-cola! Love this stuff!" Bruce said.

-Yep, now all we have to do now, is wait,- I said.

We then waited for the show to start.

* * *

(Elizabeth POV)

The party was about over and everyone was starting to ship out. Sunny was actually given the key to the school because she said she had more work to do. It was allowed as long as we left at the same time as the faculty. I walked over to where she was, she was inspecting her phone for some reason. We were the only two left in the class and I went to her.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Well about as much as you'd think, you probably figured it out right?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah, your parents didn't show did they?" I said.

"Yeah but it's not for the reason you think, my parents both have jobs, and they don't really have that good of ones either," she said.

"So what? They couldn't take off time?" I asked.

"No…Having a kid, when you that young is…." She said but stopped.

"They…I'm sorry I didn't know," I said.

"Having me put them in a lot of debt, and still do, I've been trying to get a job, but just can never get it, but this contest had a cash prize! And I think it will be enough to last them, as long as my debt doesn't add into that," She said.

"They love you, don't feel like that," I said.

"I know they do, but I want to help, and I know the perfect way!" She said.

"Really how!?" I said in shock.

"Yours truly snapped the best photo ever," She said.

"Let's see it!" I said.

She pulled out her expensive camera, opened up the gallery. She went down to the last photo and…..oh s***…..

"So remember my suspicions about Xeta? Well I was right, that bastard ain't human," She said.

It was a picture of Xeta out in the forest with Bruce. He had his disguise turned off….

"I knew something was up with them Elizabeth, and I was right, this changes everything, we bring him in we could be famous, and rich! Think about it I would be able to help my family, you could move out! It would be amazing!" She said.

I shook my head, "What no, no, no we will not be doing that!"

"Look I know you like him but this is above that! We need to think about this, and I need to think about my families future!" She said.

"But how do you know it isn't fake? Or a costume?" I asked.

"A costume doesn't change your size and shape, Elizabeth, I'm going to turn this in to the cops, now they'll know a monster is among us!" Sunny said.

"They wont believe you! They'll think you're crazy!" I said to her.

"This can't be photo shopped, I even have a video of them too! I've got what I need, now then will you help me or not?" She said.

"Sunny please, you don't know what he's been through!" I said and immediately regretted it.

She turned to me after she had started to walk, "You knew? You knew about this!?"

"Y-ye….yes.. I did," I stuttered.

"W-why didn't you say anything?! How long have you known?!" She asked furious.

"Before you were suspicious," I said honestly.

"You've known for that long, and not told anybody!? Why!?" She said.

"What do you think would happen? He would be experimented on, be treated like an animal!" I said.

"You think his problems are the only thing that matters?! And he could be lying to you!" She said.

"HE IS NOT! HE SAVED ME SUNNY!" I said.

Her eyes widened, "What?"

"He saved me! A few weeks ago I was caught in an alley way by these people who tried to…..and he saved me from them!" I explained.

"I heard about three men found in an alleyway, that was you two?" She asked.

I nodded.

"But he's dangerous! He killed one of those guys! And he still is dangerous, him and Bruce are up to something tonight, I don't know what but they are!" She started to walk out of the room but I followed her.

I grabbed her hand, "Sunny please listen to me! He's trying to protect us!"

She pulled away and turned to me, "How do you know huh? Do you know what he's doing tonight?!"

"I…I don't, but I know him, Sunny that guy Monty who killed his parents, also turned him into that!" I said.

Her eyes widened from that.

"He lost everything, his body, his home, his family…. My guess is whatever he's doing he's trying to protect us from that happening," I said.

She was uncertain, "Why do you trust him so much… look what he is!"

"I've known Xeta for years Sunny…I know him better than anyone, and I will tell you now, he is trying to protect us, we're all he has left now, you keep looking at his appearance, and not who he is, and I know who he is Sunny," I explained.

She looked down for a moment, then smiled, "So… You trust him even now do you?"

I nodded almost in tears.

She shook her head, "I've never seen you get this serious before. Ok! I believe you, if you put this much trust in him, then what the hell, I guess I'll trust him to best friend," She said to me.

I smiled, wiping my eyes, "Thank you Sunny."

"Let me go delete that photo then we can get out of here, I'll be right back," She said and walked back into the class.

I waited a good few minutes and I wondered why she hadn't come out yet…come to think about it I hadn't heard anyone else talking either, what the hell is going on? I walked back inside the room and saw he standing by the edge of the table, with the camera on the floor.

The camera screen showed picture deleted, she must've been upset that she did that.

I felt sorry for her, I started to walk up to her, "Sunny?"

She didn't answer.

"Sunny look I'm sorry, I know this was so important to you to find out the truth, but look on the bright side, your picture is still amazing, it could go into an art gallery and make millions, then you and your family will have everything they want!" I said happily.

She still didn't answer.

I walked up and put my hand on her shoulder, "Sunny?"

As soon as I said that she fell over, and the sight in front of me horrified me.

When she fell blood pooled around her head. Across her neck was a deep slash wound. Her eyes were glazed over, and her dress and pants were drenched in blood.

As soon as I saw that I screamed and fell back.

"N-NO! ARGGGHH!" I said as I fell.

I pushed myself back, -N-no! NO, SUNNY! N-n-n-nO!- I had tears flowing from my eyes.

I sat there crying for a few seconds and I heard a voice. It was female.

"Well you know as we saw she was going to sellout your friend, you should be happy!" I looked up and saw this small grey creature. It was about three and a half feet tall, had red eyes and a red set of feathers on top of it's head. It also had a red feathered tail, feathers on her ears and around her neck. Then the most noticeable feature for me was her claws which had blood on them. She also had this collar with a speaker box on it, where the voice was coming from.

"But we really can't say the same about you really, now can we?" she said.

I quickly tried to get up and run but as soon as I started I got my leg cut and fell from the pain.

"Now Winry I know I said I wouldn't attack women but we can't just let our target run now can we?" I turned and saw that there was another one of the grey creatures. It had a collar and spoke in a male voice.

"I know Warren, but am I not allowed to have some fun?" She asked.

"Not when it decides our freedom, we just need her, dead or alive," Warren said.

I started to hyperventilate, looking at the creatures, at my leg, and at Sunny, going back and forth. My leg started to bleed profusely, and I started to cry and whimper.

"N..N-no, p-p-please d-don't…" I said desperate.

"Oh Warren Please!" The female one said happily, then her face got violent, "Let me choose!"

I looked back and forth at the two again as they started to walk close to me, then I screamed.

"SOMEONE! ANYONE! XETA!" I screamed.


	20. Chapter 20 For the ones I love (Part 2)

(Xeta POV)

Bruce and I had just finished eating and had gotten ready for our confrontation with Karver. We didn't know how long we had to wait, but we did know they would be here tonight. After a little while I felt odd for some reason.

My ears had perked and I started to look around frantically.

Bruce noticed the change, "Man you okay?"

-Yeah I um….- Truth was I wasn't.

Something was calling me, and it wasn't a voice, I couldn't hear anyone. It was similar to the voice that tells me I have to hunt, it was like another instinct. But unlike the hunting one, this one was louder, it was so loud it was starting to make my head hurt. I held my head, closed my eyes, and started to growl.

Bruce again took notice, "Dude are you alright!? What's going on?!"

My eyes shot open and I grabbed Bruce by his shoulders, -WE HAVE TO GET TO THE SCHOOL!-

"WHAT?! Why?! We need to be here to get Karver!" He argued.

-NO! NO! SOMETHINGS WRONG I CAN FEEL IT! I DON'T KNOW WHAT BUT WE HAVE TO GO! NOW!- I screamed through telepathy.

It apparently hurt his head, "Alright, alright! Jeez, turn the volume down!"

I quickly got up, and jumped off the roof, he followed while climbing down. Back at the car I had thrown my shotgun in, and my sword.

He caught up, "What are you doing?!"

-It will only slow me down, I can get there faster on foot, and I need to get there as fast as possible, no more time to explain! JUST START DRIVING!- I screamed and took off. As I ran I hear his car crank which meant he following.

This was similar to how the hunting instinct was, influencing me to hunt, but this time, for some reason the instincts and I shared a common goal, but I didn't know what yet.

Just whatever it was, let me make it in time!

(Elizabeth POV)

I screamed as loud as I could and waited for the creatures to attack, but after a few seconds it never came. I looked up and saw them both holding their claws at the sides of their heads, and yelling. Their hearing must be sensitive!

Without even thinking I took my opportunity to run through the halls. I turned the corner and saw another bloody sight. They killed the janitor! His neck had been slit open!

I almost screamed at the sight, but quickly stopped myself and kept moving. I just had to get to an exit! Once I got outside, I would keep running and call the cops! I heard talking coming down from where I came, they must be on the move now, but too little too late! I was already at the exit. I tried opening it….it was locked…

NO! No, no, no, no! Why! It wasn't even lockdown ye-THE JANITOR! Did they lock the doors!? They must have stole his key!

"WHERE DID THAT B**** GO!?" I heard the female one screamed, "MIGHT AS WELL COME OUT! YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM US!"

I heard the male one talk in a quieter voice, probably to tell the female to keep her voice down. I panicked and started to move again, new plan. Find a spot to hide out, and call the cops once I get there.

I started to pick up pace but stopped for a minute, and gasped in pain. With all the adrenaline my body forgot it had been injured, but now it was starting to come back. But I had to move, there was no use in stopping. I went down to one of the farthest halls and walked down it, there I saw another body. It was one of the security guards for the school. He had his gun out, which mean he must have tried to fight them, but wasn't able to even get a bullet off. I quickly picked up his gun and started to move quietly. I had made it down to the end of the hall and looked both ways. Left, nothing. Right, nothing.

"Hey b****!" I heard the voice from behind me.

I quickly turned and looked down at the female creature. She was holding her claw up and it was glowing a bright blueish, white.

"You know what you did to me and my brother was very rude, that isn't a way to treat guests, it was very-" Her claws glowed brighter, "COLD!"

She slammed them down and pillars of ice shot forward. I quickly dodged the attack by jumping to the side through the door of the hall. I turned and saw the pillars of ice had blasted their way through the ceiling. I looked on in horror, that small creature did that!?

The male one had walked through one of the halls and looked at the ice and me.

"WINRY! WHAT DID THEY SAY ABOUT THE ICE!?" He yelled at her.

"Oh! SHUT UP WARREN! That was awesome!" She said walking out.

"Yes but they told us not to do that! It would give us away!" Warren said.

"I don't care! It's fun! It's what we're gonna do when we're free!" Winry said.

"Look I don't care what you thin-" Warren had started but had stopped as a bullet flew by both their head. They both ducked and look at me, I had just fired at them, shakenly, but I did. I then got ready to fire but Warren had jumped at Winry and got them both to cover. I fired two bullets then got up to run away again. This would give me enough time to find a hiding spot.

Before I could even think though something grabbed my uninjured leg. Rapidly my leg grew cold, making it freeze and had caused me to fall to the ground wincing. I looked back and saw my leg covered in a thin layer of ice. Then next to me looking down at my face was one of the creatures.

The voice was Warren's though, "Enough of tag girl, we've had enough."

I tried to lift the gun but he held my hand down with both his paws at my wrist. I felt my arm grow cold, but he wasn't freezing it. I was about to try and get up, but I felt claws at my neck.

"Nope, nope, nope, sorry little lady, oh how ironic that is, but we can't let you leave, so you can play nice…..or play dead," The female one said. She then put her other set of claws over my mouth, "And I wouldn't scream if I were you, or I will actually give you a reason to scream."

I didn't know what to do at this time. I couldn't get up because of the claws at my neck, I could run because of the wounds and ice, I couldn't call for obvious reasons, and I couldn't scream. I looked nearby and saw that we were close to the gym's storage closet. If I could get in there they may not be able to find me, and I would have time to call. But what would be a good enough distraction? I need something to make noise, lot's of it!

"So should we freeze her or what? I mean we have to be able to get her to the drop off point," The female one said.

"Well, we probably will have to carry her, but freezing her somewhat isn't a bad idea," Warren said.

"Alright, so what part should we-" Before Winry got to finish I pulled the trigger on the gun, causing it to ring out a loud concussive sound, and since we were inside it bounced off the walls bad, and they were both right next to it.

They both screamed while holding their ears and closing their eyes. I took my opportunity to push them off, and run straight to that closet. I quickly got in and slammed the door so they couldn't see me.

I waited for theirs screams to die down from inside the closet.

"AH! HOW DO ANIMALS DO IT!?" I heard Warren scream.

"WHO KNOWS!?" Winry screamed.

"Wait….WHERE DID SHE GO!?" Warren yelled.

"WHAT?! That b**** got away!" Winry screamed.

"Okay, I'll take this way, you go that way," Warren said.

"Alright!" Winry replied.

As I heard them run off I turned on the closet light and looked around. I saw they had a first aid kit in their, that was my first priority. I quickly grabbed it, took the tape and gauze, and covered the wound on my leg.

Once that was done I realized I was freezing, the cold was really getting to me. I couldn't believe it, their abilities are different from what I've seen Xeta do, but then again I haven't seen him do much, just that he's strong and fast, is he hiding power like this from me, or does he not know how to use it?

I didn't have time to think, I quickly pulled out my phone to dial 911. But again, things were not going my way. My phone was cracked! It must've happened one of the times I fell!

I tried my hardest to power it on in desperation, about to be in tears. BUT IT TURNED ON!

I smiled, I could get out of here. I quick went to the dial pad and called 911.

Then I waited for an operator, "911, what's your emergency?"

"Yes my name is Sunny Monroe, I'm at Sorey high school, there are two things trying to kill me! Please I need help!" I whispered.

"Hello? I'm sorry if you are speaking, please speak up," The operator said.

"My name! Is Sunny Monroe!" I said a bit louder, "I am at Sorey high school and there are things trying to-"

"Hello? Hello? Whoever this is you are calling on a cell phone, and it doesn't have GPS, if you are there please speak," The operator said.

"IM HERE! I am!" I yelled with tears in my eyes.

I waited a few seconds, "I'm sorry but I still can't hear you, I will assume you are in shock and will send officers to try and find you, just stay safe."

And they hung up.

They couldn't hear me, that could only mean that the speaker on my phone broke!

I got in a fetal position and cried, I started just crying my eyes out, some of them freezing from the ice that was on my leg. As the salty water fell from my eyes I looked down at the gun at the floor. No one would find me, I was locked in here, and I would probably be tortured if I stayed here.

I could just leave now, nothing is stopping me, then I wouldn't be in this situation.

I picked it up and looked at the gun in detail. I was scared, more scared then I had ever been…..

I was alone, I couldn't get in touch with anyone…..WAIT!

I opened my phone up again and texted Xeta. I texted that I was at the school and there were two creatures trying to attack me. I waited for a few more minutes but I didn't get a response.

I just started to cry even more, contemplating the idea I still had in my head about the gun.

I started to hold up the gun….but I remembered something. Xeta had told me multiple times since his change that I was the only thing keeping him going. When I was at his cave I remembered that. I realized then what I was about to do, I was the last of it, the last he has to care about. He's protected me, and done everything he could to keep me alive, I was just about to ruin all of that.

I was about to give up on myself, when all he is ever done is protect me, and keep me alive.

No, I wouldn't die here, and I wont be kidnapped either. I wiped the tears from my face, I had to be strong, and find a way out. I still had the gun, but they are fast, they would probably be able to dodge, and I'm not a good shot. I pulled out the magazine to see how many bullets I had. Five, I had five bullets. If I could shoot one of the windows by an exit then I could get out. But I would need those creatures stunned or something. I looked around the room, and I saw a megaphone.

I picked it up, I could use the siren feature on it, but I would need something to keep it going. I saw some duct tape in the closet as well. I could just run, but they could hurt others….

"COME ON PHONE WORK!" I screamed.

I waited a few minutes later and I heard footsteps coming closer.

"You stupid girl, look here, you come with us now, and we wont hurt you," I heard Warren say.

"And if you try to run, or attack, we'll just make sure you can't anymore!" I heard Winry say.

"Ok then, I'm coming out," I said.

"Good, being cooperative," Warren said.

I cracked the door a bit, then swung it open while hitting the siren button. A loud earsplitting sound broke loose in the hall. It started hurting my ears but the two creatures screams were inaudible to it. I quickly put tape on the megaphone to hold the button down, then took the gun and shot each of them once.

I then took off running to the closest exit. As I did though I heard the siren stop, they must have broke it or something. Just a few seconds later I was at the exit. I quickly shot the window next to the door and started to climb through. As I did though one of them caught up and started to pull me back in, cutting me with glass in the process. They were successful in getting me back in but I was able to shoot them, but the other one quickly came up to me and jabbed it's claw into my arm, causing me to drop the gun and scream. They then stood on top of me and dug the claws on their bottom paw into my left shoulder.

I started to cry again from the pain.

But it wasn't Winrey who had stabbed me it was Warren.

"You stupid, b****, I tried to be reasonable, I really did, but you have gone and done it now," He held his claws to my eyes, "Maybe if you can't see, you can't run, how about that?"

"P-please don't!" I said crying.

"Crying, tears? Jeez, you are just a child, just like your friend I killed, she believed your little fantasies of your friend protecting her, ain't no fairy tail stories here, if you ask me, she got what she deserved!" Winry said.

I actually got angry, "F*** you! She had dreams, she had hopes, and you took all that from her!"

"No, I took her parents out of debt," Winry said.

I tried to get at her but Warren pushed me down.

"Nope, this time it's my turn, you've pissed me off way too much today, shot my sister, shot me, made our ear drums bleed, just for that, I'm gonna take away your eyes," He said.

He lifted his claws and I closed my eyes for the upcoming attack.

"CCAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

I opened my eyes and looked to my left down the hall and saw Xeta running down it. I didn't see it but the other two had looked as well.

The thing was something changed however, as Xeta ran he was surrounded by a dark, purple, blue energy. His body physically changed, the claws on his paws grew more defined, and he some on his bottom paws as well. His paws also changed to a red color. His coat of tan fur grew bigger, and his tail was changed to the back ends of the tan fur. His black marking that were on his muzzle had changed, and spread all across his body, with blue energy outlining them. The feelers that were on the back of his head grew larger, and on the end of the longer ones had red fur. And the finishing touch was his eyes also glowed with energy, and as he ran red streaks followed his eyes, but only for a second.

With something similar to a sound of thunder, he ran up, grabbed warren by his neck, and slammed him into the wall. The force left a crack behind him, but the creature was still alive.

Warren slashed Xeta across his muzzle with his claws, leaving two cuts on the far end of his muzzle. But Xeta didn't even flinch. He then pulled back and slammed him again, and again, over and over. Me and Winry looked on in horror, but I quickly used this as my chance to get away from the monsters. As fast as I could, adrenaline pumping through my body I ran down the hallway. I turned the corner and was gonna try and find where Xeta came in through, but as I kept running, I heard a yell behind me. Before I could even turn around to look I had claws raked down my left cheek, all three hitting their mark.

The force of them sent me flying into one of the fire extinguisher holders on the walls. I hit my head bad, and had a line of blood coming down from my head, and where the claws hit. The force knocked the fire extinguisher out of it's holster.

"You C***!" Winrey yelled. I was then hit with a ball of solid ice.

"So that's what you did, you called him here, I should've known," She said.

I tried to stand up but then was hit with another ice ball, which froze my side and slid me near the fire extinguisher.

"Thanks to you, my brother is dead…..f*** the mission, F*** THE FREEDOM!" She said.

I grabbed the fire extinguisher with my left hand.

She was right behind me.

I didn't see it but her claws were ready, "And f*** YOU!"

Before she was able to hit, I swung around and bashed her with the fire extinguisher. She fell back and held her face in pain.

Without even thinking I got up, and held her beneath my knee, she winced from it.

"What? WAI-" Before she even got the words out of her mouth I lifted the fire extinguisher above my head and slammed it on top of hers. Then I lifted and did it again, then again, then again.

Blood started pooling but I didn't care, with each hit I yelled.

"RAH! GAH! HA!" I kept on, not stopping. The body below me had started to twitch, even though there was hardly anything left from what I had done. Blood was all over the hydrant, on my hands, on my clothes, and on my face.

I had kept doing it a couple more times but someone pulled me back.

"NO! GET OFF! DON'T TOUCH ME! I'LL KILL YOU!" I screamed trying to squirm my way out of the persons grasp.

-HEY! HEY! IT'S ME!- The person had turned me around, me still struggling.

Then when I looked I saw Xeta sitting in a kneeling stance with his arms on my shoulders, -It's me,- He said. He was back in his normal state, no longer in that other form.

My eyes widened at the sight of him, he had the claw marks still left on his muzzle, but I didn't care.

"Xeta?..." I started cry, "They tried to…they killed….!"

I then hugged him, the blood on me covering his clothes and fur. Then just started bawling, speaking in not even words, but just stressed sobs.

He hugged back, and held me close, "It's ok, your ok, it's gonna be ok," He said.

I couldn't hear, I just kept crying and crying, crying because I was safe, crying because of what I saw, crying because of what I did, crying because of the pain, and crying because I just lost one of my closest friends.

I could feel tears fall on me as well, Xeta had started to cry, -I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry! They wont hurt you, they can't hurt you anymore.-

I heard him the time but still just continued to cry, but I was safe….I was alive.


	21. Chapter 21 Recovery

(Xeta POV)

As Elizabeth had been crying and wailing, and after breaking out of my trance of being scared for her, I realized I should have been moving then. Her cries had soon stopped, and she fell over in my arms. She passed out, but not from exhaustion, a pool of blood had started to circle her from her wounds. I looked her over and saw how bad a shape she was in. There were claw marks that had been made on her left cheek, three lining up in a pattern. Her right arm had a massive gash in it, blood pouring from the wound.

I noticed her shirt near her shoulder had been ripped, and noticed three puncture wounds. Her waist and left arm had small cuts covering them, possibly from the broken glass I saw. Then on one leg she had a massive cut on her thigh, and her other leg had been freezer burned.

But the last wound had worried me, I noticed that at the top of her head, she had blood running from her hair. I looked up at the fire extinguisher case, and saw blood had covered one of the corners, she must've been knocked into it.

Realizing the danger to her life in this situation, I quickly scooped her up in my arms and ran to the entrance I broke through. As I did I turned on my disguise, making it bare a new scar, so I didn't have to hid the blood.

As I carried Elizabeth outside of the school, I heard the distinct sound of police cars letting out their sirens. As I got to the entrance where I came in from, I saw their distinct red and blue lights from the windows.

Two officers were outside the building, about to come in, when they spotted me exiting. They were hostile at first, seeing this boy with a new wound on his face, with himself, and the girl he held, both covered in blood.

They realized however, after my screams of panic, that the girl in my arms was severely wounded. The officers came up to me as I laid Elizabeth on the ground. The officers had started to help me in keeping her wounds as closed as possible, while they asked me if there was anyone still inside.

I shook my head.

They also asked if the attackers were still there.

I shook my head no again.

More officers had shown up, who were told to investigate the inside of the school, while and ambulance showed up for Elizabeth. Elizabeth, who I had continuously had to make sure to keep awake, was moving in and out of consciousness, and her breathing was feint. I quickly looked up and noticed that Bruce's car was nearby, he must've called the authorities, and thankfully, it was a good thing he did.

I helped get her onto the stretcher as the nurses moved her to the ambulance, but I dared not leave her side.

"Xe….Xeta?" I heard her ask in a very weak voice.

I growled back to tell her I was here.

"Sir I need you to step back," The female doctor told me.

I shook my head in denial.

"Sir please, if you are not her family you can't come with us," She explained.

I was still hesitant to let them go with her.

"Sir…. Her wounds are bad… but they are not fatal, she will be okay, but we need all of our doctors in the ambulance to keep her stable, if you truly care about her, then please back away," The doctor told me.

This time I listened and backed away.

As they drove off, and I watched in sadness, I had been called by a female officer to come over to her.

I walked up to the lady and noticed she was wearing a CSI outfit. She had brown hair that was made into a long pony tail, which she had over her shoulder. She had green eyes, and looked at me as I came over.

"Xeta, Shidel. I am correct on this?" She asked.

I nodded in confirmation, but was confused on how she knew my name.

"Ah good, my file on you was correct, I am Officer Veil, I am in charge of this investigation, I just need to ask you a few questions about what happened," She explained.

I nodded to her in confirmation.

"Okay, do you know the girl that the officers said you brought out?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Okay, do you know how the creatures got into the school?" She asked.

I shook my head.

"Do you know how they died?" She asked one more time.

I nodded.

"Okay, from what my files tell me you are mute, is this correct?" She asked me.

I nodded in confirmation.

"Okay then," she handed me a notepad, "Please use this to speak with me."

I did as was told and wrote down my story, leaving out the bits where I slammed one into a wall.

"So, you came in with one of the creatures dead, and you found Elizabeth, the girl you had with you, was wounded and brought her out, what about the other one?" She asked.

I took the notepad back, and gave her the rest of the information when I found Elizabeth.

"She…. So, the bloody fire extinguisher that was near the corpse…. Oh god, that poor girl…" Officer Veil said.

I looked down in sadness.

"Do… You have any idea what happened to the other one?" She asked.

I simply shook my head.

She seemed to be thinking about something when another officer came up to us.

"Ma'am, we have an issue!" He said.

"What is it?!" She said turning to him.

"All of the cameras were cut, we can't check the feed on what went on!" He said.

"Damn it…. What about the collars those creatures were wearing?" Veil asked him.

"One was smashed, and the other was broken, but thankfully one stayed in tact," He said.

"Well, what can you gather?" Veil asked.

"Well ma'am, from what we could put together, it was a translator," He explained.

"A translator? Translating what?" Veil asked.

"No clue, but we could assume so the creatures could talk, but the only ones that could of heard it were the girl and him," He said pointing at me.

She turned to me, "Did you hear them talking?"

I honestly answered and shook my head, I hadn't heard them talking, and if I did I was in too much of a daze, I really wasn't in control when I attacked.

"Okay…. What about the ice pillar?" She asked.

"We still have not come to a direct conclusion on how that is even there, but we could assume the creatures," The officer said.

I took my notepad and wrote down there were freezer burns on Elizabeth's leg.

I gave it to Veil, "Freezer burns? How could that even…. So… We can take it into consideration the creatures caused this, god I feel like I'm dealing with an area 51 case, anyways, we'll have to check in with the girl later on, what else have you found officer?"

The officer tensed up, "The only other things we found were a broken mega phone, a gun that had recently been fired, and a couple of bodies…"

"Okay… get to identifying them, back to your position!" She ordered.

"Yes ma'am!" He said turning away and walking off.

She then turned back to me, "Alright, now back to you, I'm sorry to say, but you will have to be considered a suspect."

I backed away at this, and gave her a confused look.

"Look here, you and that girl were the only ones who exited that building alive, I can't overlook the fact that you could have been involved! Just look at you! You are covered in blood!" She said.

I felt insulted by her words, and started to growl at her accusations.

Just then I heard a familiar voice calling out, and when I turned to look, Elizabeth's mother had forced her way pass one of the officers and came up to Veil and I, not realizing I was there.

"Ma'am! Please, have you seen my daughter!? I heard about the school being attacked, and she was here after hours, and please have you seen her?!" She said genuinely scared, I have to give her credit, she was still a mother, maybe a manipulative one, but no one would want to see their daughter in the ground.

"Ma'am, I will need you to calm down, what's her name?" Veil asked.

"Elizabeth, Monroe!" Her mother said in a scared tone.

Veil nodded, "Your daughter was injured, but she will be okay, she has been taken to the hospital, this young man here was the one who brought her to us," She said pointing at me.

Elizabeth's mother actually recognized me, "XETA?!"

Veil was confused, "Wait ma'am, you know him?"

"Why yes, him and my daughter are together!" Her mom stated, which caused me to heavily blush, and I couldn't hide it, not even through the image.

Veil turned to me in shock.

"Wait, so together as in…?" Veil said.

"As a couple yes," She gave Veil an angered look, "Do you think he caused this?!"

"Well ma'am, we must take into consideration the fact that-"

Veil had been cut off by Elizabeth's mother, "The fact you should be taking into consideration is my daughter has done nothing but speak highly of him since me and my husband met him! And he has done nothing but show our daughter respect and care, and also given us the respect we deserve, if he was here then my daughter must have let him know she was in trouble and contacted him, isn't that right?!"

I nodded to her mother, whether or not she was doing this out of care for me, care for her daughter, or for some plan, I was thankful I didn't have to worry about being locked up, or on the run.

"See?! And we will have to hear what my daughter has to say as well! Who else is a witness?!" Her mother asked.

Veil shook her head, "There are no other witnesses, your daughter, and Xeta here were the only two to leave the school alive."

That seemed to scare the already distressed mother, "I… I see, well please take what I have said into consideration!"

"It's already been noted ma'am," Veil said, "Now please, we need you to clear out, we need to secure the area!"

Elizabeth's mother quickly left, and ran back to her car. She drove as in a hurry, where I assumed she was headed to the hospital.

I turned back to veil.

"Okay, from the information I have gathered from her, she seems to believe that you would do nothing to harm her daughter, now I want to ask you, do you actually love that girl?" Veil asked.

She was not wrong, and I could not lie, I nodded.

"Okay, then we will not place any suspects until we hear from Elizabeth, but I would like to keep in touch, may I have your phone number if we ever have any more questions?" She asked.

I nodded to her, and wrote my number on the notepad she gave me.

"Alright then, now go… and you should probably clean up," She said.

I looked down at the blood that was starting to dry on my coat, would this ever come out?!

I left the scene and headed over to where I saw Bruce's car, he was nearby.

"Hey man…. I saw the ambulance… Is she going to be okay?" He asked me.

I nodded while my body shook, I was finally able to take a breath, but I was very stressed on everything that happened.

-T..They said she would be fine…. B. but, I'm worried,- I said.

"You have every right to be…. What all happened?" He asked.

-There were two creatures… I ran in and, saw them attacking her, I killed one, and when I caught up to Elizabeth and the other creature, Elizabeth was crushing it's head with a fire extinguisher…- I explained.

His eyes widened, "Holy shit…"

-Elizabeth was covered in wounds…- I said.

"J… Jesus…"

-And… I didn't get to hear much, but I think they killed Elizabeth's friend Sunny,- I said.

"No way… From what you told me they were close…" Bruce said.

-Yeah…. I…. Don't feel good,- I said.

"You wanna just go home?" He asked.

-Drive me home to clean up, then I'm going to the hospital,- I said.

"I don't think they'll let you see her if she's in critical," He explained.

-I can wait,- I said.

He drove me back to the area close enough to where it wasn't a long walk to my cave. After getting my sword, guns, and phone out of the car, I ran back to my cave. I grabbed soap, and a towel. After that I quickly headed to the waterfall and got to washing. I made sure to wash all the blood off my fur, and cleaned the new wound on my muzzle, that was going to scar.

After cleaning up, and being in pain when soap got in the wound, I quickly ran through the forest till I was close to town. I was not wearing my jacket, but still disguised myself.

After finding a 24 hour laundromat, I walked inside, threw my coat into a washer, and waited. As I waited, I took a look at my cross necklace, there was blood on it. I quickly licked one of my paw nubs, and wiped it off best I could. Even though I did, it was stained still, some of the blood wasn't gonna come out.

I felt ashamed at that, this was not only a symbol of my religion, but also my family, it felt dirtied…. But in a way aged. I mean… I look back on what I've done, but all I've done is stop people from hurting others…. Even if that means I….

I stopped myself, even though it was like this now, even though I've done bad, I'm trying to do what's right, and still grow up as a normal person, and my necklace showed it. Even though what I've done is wrong, I've done it for a good reason….. I hope…

I heard the washer stop and I looked at my jacket. The soap did that job, thankfully it was a black coat, if it was white, oh boy I would be in trouble. I threw it in the dryer for a bit and waited.

I was trying to piece together the puzzle in my head, why did those creatures attack her, why were they attacking the school?! Were…. Were they after me? Or… What did they want…..

I was starting to feel guilty, what if I was the reason they attacked? What if I'm the reason they killed Elizabeth's friend…. God… what have I done?

I quickly stopped myself again, I made it in time, I stopped them, even though Elizabeth was hurt, I stopped them from killing her, that's still something good. Think positive…. Think positive….

As soon as I thought that, the dryer beeped signaling it was done. I pulled it out and gave it a look, came out nice.

I put it on, let the disguise underneath fade, then head on to the hospital. I looked outside the building with aura vision to see if I could spot Elizabeth's. I was able to find it, and saw her surrounded by doctors, they might be there a while, but I could wait.

And wait did I. I was there for hours, emotionally drained from being worried. I noticed that Elizabeth's parents were here as well. While I was waiting impatiently I got an email from the school. School would be canceled for a full week? Alright then, that makes sense.

I decided I would go in and ask about Elizabeth, bringing in my notepad I wrote my message to the lady at the desk.

"It seems she's still in treatment, and it's up to her parents to decide if you can see her. After treatment would you like to ask?" She said.

I repeatedly nodded. I was worried sick! I had to just see her, make sure she was okay.

After waiting maybe another hour, it reaching around midnight. I was finally told that I could ask her parents. I only guessed that this meant she was out of treatment, and was now recovering.

They had a doctor escort me to her parents.

When we came up they were actually surprised to see me.

"Xeta?" Her father asked.

I nodded.

"Why are you here?" He asked confused.

The doctor answered for me, "He seems to know the young woman here, he's been here waiting for hours, he seemed worried sick, he would like to ask if it would be okay for him to be able to see her?"

Her mother and father both looked at each other.

"He saved her honey, he got her out of there," Her mother said.

Her father nodded, "We allow it."

"Alright then, well you will all now be able to see her, we did the best we could, but there is a matter we need to discuss," He said.

We all nodded, but I was sweating buckets, what did we need to know that was that bad.

I followed the doctor and her parents into the room where I saw how Elizabeth was. She on the bed, with an IV in her arm, and asleep, her breathing normal. There was a bandage wrapped around her head, and a square bandage over the claw marks that were on her cheek. I noticed that there were some padding on her right arm, I guessed from where she was stabbed.

Her mother and father, I could tell were near to tears. Parents are parents it seems, even when they screw up.

"Sad to say, under her garments are even more bandages, she was cut multiple times, her left leg has freezer burns, and the other a large gash. Luckily neither one resulted in an amputation. The cuts were all stitched closed, the only ones we didn't are the gash on her right arm, where most of the blood loss originated from," the doctor explained.

"Her arm?" Her mother asked.

"Yes, a vein in her arm was cut, and if she didn't get to us when she did, she might have bled out," The doctor said.

This brought her mother to actual tears this time, and I truly felt bad for her.

"I… I can't hear anymore, I just…" She walked out.

"Is there any more?" Her father asked.

"I'm afraid yes, the other cut we couldn't stitch was the one's on her cheek, they weren't as deep as the others, but they are large, they will leave bad scars on her," The doctor said sadly.

I took my time trying to soak this all in, but scars didn't matter to me, I didn't care, she's still her to me, that's all that matters.

"Is that all?" Her father asked.

"No…. there's one last thing…. You see the bandage around her head?" He asked.

I looked and so did her father.

"What about it" Her father asked.

"Whatever she hit, whatever caused the gash on her head…. We believe that it caused… " he paused.

Me and her father both waited in anticipation for his answer.

"We believe…. That it caused some brain damage…" The doctor finished.

This caused me and her father's eyes to widen.

What. The. FUCK!? Did this doctor just say?!

"What…. What are you talking about?!" Her father asked desperately.

"Sir please, listen, we don't believe that it will be anything life changing, it was very minor damage, but it's there, we are not saying your daughter will be hospitalized or anything of the sort, she will still be able to live her life," The doctor explained.

This caused me and her father to become less tense.

"Well… what will it cause?" Her father asked.

"We're not too sure yet, but it will not affect her ways of thinking or studying, but there might be a change in how she acts, or the way she acts. This is a very difficult to determine situation, we have no idea what this will cause, but we can assure you, whatever it may be, it will not affect how she lives," the doctor lastly said.

"I um…. I need to go tell my wife," Her father said and walked out of the room.

I simply walked over to Elizabeth's bed, stood to her right, got on my knees, and just held her hand. I rested my head on my other arm and just sat there, not moving.

The doctor looked at me, "She'll probably take a while to wake."

I simply nodded.

I didn't move from my spot, and I heard her mother now in hysterics outside crying, her father must have told her.

After a few minutes her parents walked back in.

Her mother came up, and felt some of her daughters hair, genuinely looking saddened, and concerned for her daughter. I noticed her eyes were red, and stained with tears.

Her mother looked at the doctor, "Will we…. Will we be able to visit her?"

"Anytime you want ma'am, but him, he needs your permission," The doctor said pointing at me.

Her mother noticed how I was, she had a pretty good idea that I had no intention of leaving her side.

"He saved my daughter, that's the least I can do is let him see the person he saved," Her mother said.

"Alright then, I'll add him to the guest list," The doctor said.

"Wait just a minute," Her father intervened, "Now look I-"

"Not one word from you!" Her mother said, "If you noticed, he was also wounded trying to save our daughter, he has every right to see her!"

It was interesting, to see her mother like this. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the stress, or even just out of love for her daughter, but at that moment, I don't think she gave two shits about the company.

"Fine, fine…" Her father begrudgingly agreed.

"Alright, name please?" The doctor asked.

Her mother spoke for me, "His name is Xeta Shidel!"

"Okay then, Xeta, Shidel, and there we go, alright, I will give this to the front desk, and you will be allowed to see her for the time she is here," The doctor said.

I looked up Elizabeth's mother and nodded at her.

She nodded back in assurance.

The doctor left and the three of us stayed with Elizabeth. I hadn't moved from my spot, while they were talking about what the side effect from the damage might be. As I said I didn't care, it would still be her, no matter what.

It got late, and the doctors said that if we were going to stay we had to stay into the night.

Elizabeth's mother an father had work in the morning, but I decided to stay. Her father was a little angry at that, but Elizabeth's mother allowed it.

Before they left, her mother turned to me, "Xeta?"

I looked up from where I had first sat down beside her.

"Thank you…. For saving her," She said.

I nodded to her.

They left and I was locked in. I just sat there, and held her hand. I couldn't think of anything else to do….. there was nothing left to do.

The person I cared about the most in my life was laying on the bed, covered in cuts and wounds. What else was there to do but stay there with her? Sooner or later I fell asleep, I don't know when exactly, but I did.

I woke up to the sound of a door being jimmied and unlocked. I realized that my illusion went off when I fell asleep, and right before the door opened I turned it on. A nurse came in and noticed me.

"You were here all night?" She asked.

I just nodded as a response.

"Well, seems like you're dedicated," She said.

She started fixing her IV bag, replacing it, and just doing what she needed to do. She changed some of the bandages, and I saw that some of the wounds, like the one on her right arm, were worse then I imagined.

She finished changing and turned to me, "I wouldn't worry too much, the doctors says she'll be fine, if she wakes up give us a call and we'll get her food and whatever she needs."

I nodded to the nurse as she left, and let myself stay in the same position with her, I did not move, I did not think I simply held her hand. I thought about what she must've went through, how scared she was, it made me shake, it me visibly sick to think about. I was near to tears at this point.

But then I heard a sound, "A…arg…. Huh….?"

I looked up, and surely enough her eyes had opened. She was slowly looking over the room, and I felt her hand tense around my paw. She turned her head to look at me.

"X…. Xeta?" She asked in a weak voice.

I quickly sprang up with a smile, -Elizabeth!-

I took my other paw and wrapped in around her hand, letting my disguise fade, -I'm…. I'm so happy… y-your awake…"

I had tears now, just seeing her okay, and being able to talk with her again.

"Am… I in the hospital?" She asked.

-Yes… Please, don't try to move, I don't know how much pain you could be in if you do!- I said worried.

"Okay… How long have I been here?" She asked.

-Since last night,- I answered.

"Have… you been here all night?" She asked.

I slowly nodded at her.

She turned her head away, I could hear crying, "You…. You idiot," she laughed, "You didn't have to do that…"

-But I wanted to! How could I not?! I was so worried, we all were!- I screamed with telepathy.

"We?" She asked.

-Your parents, your mother was in tears, she couldn't bear to hear what injuries you got,- I explained.

"She was?" She asked.

-Yes. She truly was, she's the one who allowed me to stay here with you,- I explained.

I saw her look down sadly, "Xeta…. Thank you for saving me, if you hadn't shown up when you did, I might be…"

I shook my head, -You can't give me all the credit, you kept yourself alive!-

"I guess so, I didn't think you got my text," She said.

I looked at her confused, "What text?"

"I sent you a text…. That I was in danger," She said.

-I never got it,- I said truthfully.

"But…. How did you know I was there?" She asked.

I looked down in thought, I really still don't understand what led me to the school, I truly didn't.

I looked her right in the eye, -I don't know, I just…. something was yelling at me in my head, warning me, telling me, forcing me to go to the school…. I didn't know how or why, but apparently… it knew more than I did.-

This did nothing but give her more questions than answers, but it didn't matter because the doctor had just come in. He saw her awake and gave her a rundown of all that happened. When she heard the news about the brain damage it seemed to make her sick, but thankfully after more explaining she became less worried about the side effects.

The good news was, the doctor said that the wounds will heal, and she will be allowed to leave in four days.


	22. Chapter 22 Damage

I had been staying with Elizabeth for the entirety of her recovery at the hospital. I hardly left her side, the only times I didn't were when I needed to rest for my disguise. I had done her a favor the first day I was with her, she wanted some of her clothes from her house for when she would move around. She asked the doctors about it and said light wear stuff, no jeans or anything like that.

She gave her parents the go ahead and I ran over there to get the clothes. Her mother was there for me thankfully. She gave me the clothes and she had questioned how I got here without a car. I just shrugged and she just brushed it off.

I had Elizabeth a black shirt with some blue sweat pants. She appreciated it and after that we would just talk like we normally would.

What we talked about, what a little depressing. She talked about everything that happened to her…. Sunny, her wounds, the fear…. And even when she nearly decided to end it. Her words brought more meaning, and more sorrow then I had ever felt. Not only did the words do it, but I could feel her sorrow, it was overwhelming, sensing, and basically feeling her pain, it was too much. All of this brought me to tears, and I kept on apologizing, and apologizing. Even when she said it was okay I kept on, I couldn't forgive myself.

She was pained to see me the way I was, and she carefully hugged me, trying not to irritate her bandages. I returned it and did the same. That night became a little more cheerful after that, but it was still very depressing, it was only a day after the events. Especially for her, this was her first time experiencing something like this. Pain, trauma, death, and even murder. All of this in one night, she experience all of that. In. One. Night.

Dinner that night was much more pleasant. She was embarrassed to go out because of the bandages, but I was able to convince her that it didn't matter. She came reluctantly after she got dressed. We went to the cafeteria where there actually weren't many people. The hospital food was decent, but it seemed that Elizabeth wasn't interested in it. Thankfully there were a few restaurants nearby, and I decided to get her Subway.

She wanted a cold cut with all veggies, shakers, oil and vinegar added on top. I did the same, but instead of oil and vinegar, I got siracha. I got us each a bottle of Coca-Cola and walked back over to the hospital. We sat down and started to eat.

"So uh… What exactly happened, after y'know, they picked me up?" She asked.

-Well, I had a very interesting conversation with the officer that was on duty,- I said taking a bite of my food.

She just took a swallow of her drink, "Really? Like how?"

-Well she was basically trying to pin me down as the one who let those things in,- I explained.

Elizabeth was shocked by that statement, and seemingly offended, "How dare they! You saved me, and they want to try and pin this on you?! Weren't there other witnesses?!"

I shook my head, -You and I were the only ones to leave the school alive….-

She realized her mistake and looked down. I took this as an opportunity to take another bite of my sandwich, and she did as well. We ate our food for a few more seconds before we spoke again.

She started, "So… what does that mean then?"

-I think it means you are the only witness besides me, that means your word is law,- I answered.

"What?! What about you?" She asked me.

-I'm not the one who was put in the hospital, I'm not the victim, they are going to believe your word more than mine,- I explained.

She took another bite of her food, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna let them lock you up, you saved me, and I'll make sure they know that."

-Thank you… You know your mom even backed me up,- I told her.

She looked shocked at that, "Wait.. really?"

-Yep, she was one of the first people there y'know? She was at the scene just a minute or so after you left,- I said.

I saw for a brief moment, but Elizabeth had smiled. It didn't last long, but I was able to catch a glimpse of it. But she couldn't hide it, I could also sense she was happy.

I spoke to her, -Y'know, it's good to see you happy…. Despite everything…-

She shook her head, "I already told you, that's not your fault, even if it was related to you, even if it was because they wanted to get at you, that. Was. Not. Your fault. And I will drive that message into your brain if I have to."

I huffed and took a bite of my sandwich, once I finished I continued, -Maybe, but still…. I have regrets…-

She looked down, "We all do…."

The silence after that just left us both sad. We just ate in silence, waiting for the other to spark a conversation with the other. But after some thinking, and soul searching, I was able to speak again.

-So um…. Heard anything from your parents?- I asked.

She replied quickly, "My mom should be coming to visit soon, I was surprised by that front, but after what you told me it made sense…"

-You know… My parents weren't exactly perfect,- I said.

"Well, not that anyone's are, but you haven't really gone into detail before now," she said finishing a bite of her sandwich.

We stayed silent, I had something I needed to tell her about but didn't really know how to go about it.

She noticed though, "You're not eating, what's gotten into you?"

I was surprised by the response and jumped up, -Heh, seems you're better at reading people then me…. Look I got an email from the school… the funerals will be on Friday next week.-

"Funerals?" She asked.

-Yeah… from the school…- I said.

A look of realization quickly plastered itself on it's face. Her eyes showed worry and concern, realizing who the funerals were gonna be for, and she looked down scared. She started shaking a bit.

-Elizabeth, just calm down ok?- I said.

I gave her a second to stop, and she eventually was able to.

"Ok, ok I'll be fine," She said, "It's hard… y'know?"

-You seem to get nightmares now…. You scream in your sleep,- I explained.

"I what?!" She asked concerned.

-It's nothing… It's probably ptsd, it's not your fault or anything,- I said.

"Oh…" I said.

That wording didn't seem to help her, GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!? Why did I say that?!

-Well I mean wait, no it might not be that, I mean like it's just uh…- I couldn't think of anything to get my ass out of this one.

She laughed a little, "I see behind all that seriousness and worry, you're still that awkward person I came to know!"

I looked up to see her smiling at me, -Heh, I guess so, and your still the shy girl I came to know as well.-

We both started to laugh at that. It felt good, after all of this, just to laugh, and at the simple fact we were still us. It was kind of sad, but it was still something, we needed something to enjoy. Anything, anything at all.

* * *

After we ate I started to lead her back to her room, on our way there a doctor had bumped into me. He told me to watch where I was going. Her really should not have said that, because Elizabeth went off on him.

"YOU FUCKER! You ran into him! He was clearly watching where he was going and you walked into him, how dare you!" She yelled.

"Woah! Young lady please, I'm sorry I didn't-" He started but was cut off.

"NO! You piece of SHIT! How dare you, now you want to apologize HUH!? Well sorry, no fucking way you are getting off with that god damn it!" She yelled.

I gently got in front of her and pushed her back slightly, she shot me a glare that sent shivers down my spine, why was she so angry?

I gripped her hand in my disguised paw and started to lead her away. As we started walking her gaze turned soft, and it seemed she realized what she did.

"Wait did I just? Why did I yell at him like that?!" She asked.

-I, I don't know, what got into you there?- I asked.

"I.. I'm not that aggressive… so why?" She asked herself.

I just shook my head and we went inside her room.

-Maybe, just try to rest, okay?- I asked.

"Maybe…" She said.

I thought for a minute, -Y'know, it's a little boring here, would you want me to bring my game system over here, it works as portable system too, so you can play it here…-

She smiled, "Yeah, that sounds good, thanks."

-No problem, I'll be back soon,- I said.

I quickly left the hospital, and took to the woods so I could move quicker. I got back near the school where I saw there was still police investigating there. I ignored it and continued back to my place. I picked up the system and it's charge cord and ran back using the same route.

When I came back I saw she was just watching the TV in her room.

"Oh hey!" She said.

-I got it,- I replied.

"Oh cool!" She replied.

I had the two controllers and I was able to set it up on the table next to her bed. I handed her a controller, brought over a chair, and we both started to play the game together. The doctors had to come in a few times to check things and I would leave to let them. I would leave the room as they changed the bandages for her or whatever.

After that I came back in to enjoy the game with her.

The next few days had followed the same basic pattern, I would bring her food from some of the local restaurants nearby the hospital, we would play games or watch TV, and the doctors would swing by to check up on her. After the few days we were there her mother came by to visit. Her mother gave her a caring hug, and made sure to be careful about it.

Her mother stayed and talked asking about what went on, how we were, and things like that. She asked her daughter about how her wounds were doing. This was the first I had heard about this since she really is self conscious about them. Apparently they were healing like they should, but they would definitely scar, no doubt.

I felt bad for her, I knew she was already shy, this wasn't gonna help any. But her mother gave her some kind words about worrying about her appearance, she was just glad her child was alive. Her mother apologized saying that she should have been there for her.

The whole conversation in the end was heartwarming, and real. It was something my mother would say when I got bullied, it truly was a nice moment.

Her mother had again thanked me for saving her daughters life. I returned with a bow.

After a while her mother had to leave to get ready for work the next day, and the rest of the time Elizabeth seemed to be in a much happier mood.

Then the day finally came, she would be able to leave, the first step however, was to finally have her bandages removed. Since it wasn't a huge procedure I was allowed to stay in the room. Her parents were here for her as well to see the damage.

They started with her leg, which in turn had a nasty gash on it. It had scarred over, and thankfully it wasn't too noticeable, just long pants and nothing to worry about.

Next they removed the bandages around her arms, a large gash was on her right arm, like the creature had dug it's claws in. There were also some smaller scars, possibly from the glass that cut her.

Next up, they took off the ones on her waist, which I casually looked away. Once she said I could look, I saw that on her waist were some small scars, and her left shoulder had some bigger scars, but thankfully her shirt would cover it.

Then we got to the last thing, the bandages on her face. The first to be removed was the ones on her left cheek. Raked at an angle were three scars lined up together. They took up a good portion of her cheek, and one reached up near her ear. This is the one I feared, that she was most frightful of.

She held her hand to it, "How does it look…?"

Her mother and father didn't know what to say, it was bad, no question about it. But I did her something better then lying, I just held her hand, and I smiled.

She looked over at me, "I know you are just trying to make me feel better, but I know it's bad…. Even still, thanks."

Her mother smiled, "They aren't really that bad dear, I mean, so what, if anyone even tries to make a comment I will personally make them regret it!"

"Thanks mom," She said.

"It'll be fine dear," My dad said.

The last bandages came off around her head, she had a good sized scar on her forehead towards the left side, it was bad, but her hair would cover it.

The doctor then spoke, "That seems to be everything, she is now ready to leave."

Her mother was worried however, "So, all of them have healed like they're supposed to?!"

"Yes ma'am, everything has been watched and accounted for," he explained, "But one thing I must ask, Elizabeth, have you had any weird thought, or different behavioral patterns then normal?"

She got scared about the question and looked to me. I shot back a serious look, nodding at her to tell them.

"Y-yes… I had an outburst for something so simple, it was like I was more aggressive then I should have been, it wasn't normal," She explained.

"Hm… Yes I see, that must've been the change we looked into…" He said.

"You mean the brain damage?" her mother quarried.

"Yes, as we said it was very small, but it could have had a slight effect, this seems to be it," he said.

"I see…" Her father said quietly.

"My advice is just keep her calm and don't do anything to rile her up, doing that will give her time to get used to these feeling and get back on track," The doctor explained.

We all agreed to these terms, her parents had to sign a few papers, and after I packed up she was finally able to leave the hospital and go back home. After saying my goodbyes I headed back to my cave, went and brushed my teeth, got myself cleaned up at the falls, and went on to sleep after returning to my cave.

* * *

After a couple of days it was time for the funerals. The few days I had to prepare I went and bought more appropriate clothes for a funeral, just dark colored long shirt and pants. I could hold my disguise for a good bit of time at the funeral, it was no big deal. After putting it on and heading to the funeral site I tried to meet up with people I knew. There were a lot of people here, and it made sense, for a massacre to occur at a school, it would cause a lot of commotion.

I was actually able to join up with Elizabeth, and even saw Bruce.

"Hey, I was waiting on you," Elizabeth said.

-Yeah sorry, took me a minute to figure out how to get into this,- I said.

"Yeah, wouldn't the waist be too big?" she asked.

-It is, I'm using a belt, and cut a hole for my tail to hold it up as well,- I explained.

"Ah, I see…" She said.

Bruce had walked over to us, "Hey guys…"

-Hey,- I said.

"H-hi…" Elizabeth said looking down and holding a hand to her cheek.

"Elizabeth… I'm so sorry that happened to you," He apologized.

"It's okay, it's not your fault," She said.

"Still, it wasn't something you deserved, you or… Sunny…" He said sadly.

We both looked down.

"Well… the service should be starting soon, we should be there for it," He said.

I nodded and Elizabeth agreed.

The service was hard to be there for, and I know it was horrible for Elizabeth, she probably saw some of these bodies. I saw her nearly go to tears when they mentioned Sunny's name, and I noticed a couple start to cry their eyes out, and the mother of that couple was hysterical, it was obvious who they were.

The ceremonies concluded and people were able to go up to each their own grave. Elizabeth was at Sunny's and I joined her.

Sunny's parents were here as well. Elizabeth was trying to console them about their daughter, it felt awful listening in, cause what were you supposed to say to grieving parents about their daughter? It's just not that simple. It seemed Elizabeth was talking about the experiences she had with Sunny. Apparently they met in high school, it was during one of the classes they had together. Elizabeth had started getting bullied by a couple of girls in class, calling her four-eyes, and just being mean in general. Sunny was there to stick up to those bitches, and even called one out on being a slut.

It didn't really relieve their pain, but I think it gave them more memories of their daughter so that they never forget them.

Eventually we got to talking again, and their parents went off to talk with relatives they knew. After a minute some girl went up to Sunny's coffin.

"Well, looks like the annoying bitch went and croaked, finally now I wont have to hear her mouth run," She said.

I had heard this crystal clear and became a little pissed about it, but I wasn't the only one to hear it.

"What was that?" Elizabeth said while walking up.

"Oh? Hey! It's four eyes! Well it's seems this nosy bitch finally got what was coming to her, she just needed to learn her place is all… and seeing that how you are now even less attractive then before, I think you need a new name, hm… how 'bout, 'Cut Less,' I think it fits!" She said.

Elizabeth smiles, "Say I got a name for you as well!"

"Oh, and what is I-" Before the girl could finish Elizabeth slugged her and the girl held her face in pain, causing most of the crowd to look on.

"It's, 'Butter Face,' Bitch," Elizabeth yelled out.

The girl fell to her knees, holding her nose which was bleeding.

I saw Elizabeth about to try and kick her but I held her back.

-Elizabeth! Stop!- I yelled in her mind.

She squirmed in my arms, but eventually calmed herself.

That girls parents ran up to her and yelled at Elizabeth.

"YOU CRAZY BITCH! ARE YOU INSANE!" The mother yelled.

"DID YOU HIT YOUR HEAD OR SOMETHING?!" The father yelled.

Elizabeth realized her actions and backed off scared.

I got in between the parents and her and tried to cover Elizabeth, while also backing her away.

After not being able to use words while trying to calm down the parents, Elizabeth just kept repeating the words, "I'm sorry," over and over.

Elizabeth's parents didn't really know what to do in that situation, but they did come over and try to calm the parents down.

-Elizabeth, let's just walk, okay?- I asked her.

She nodded and told her parents, her mother gave her the O.K. and we were on our way.

She was crying, "Why, why, why, why!?"

I just continued to walk with her and comfort her, -It's okay, it's going to be okay,- I repeated.

"I didn't want to hurt her, but I couldn't help it, why couldn't I stop it!" She said.

-Elizabeth, it's going to be okay, that bitch was disgracing the dead, and your friend, you had every right to do that,- I explained.

"But that isn't right, I didn't want to do it!" She shook her head.

-I know… This is going to take time for you to get used to, so please, just please don't become upset, you are going to be okay,- I promised to her.

"But, what if I'm not, what if I don't get okay!?" She yelled back.

-Then I will help you! I will help you till you are! I will make sure to help control your actions, I will make sure to help you! In any way I can!- I promised again.

"What if I hurt you?" She asked.

-Even if you did, you wouldn't be able to do much to me, I can protect myself, and if I am trying to help you, then it wont matter, as long as I know I can help you!- I explained.

She started to wipe her tears, and she hugged me gently, avoiding the spike on my chest. I gently returned the hug and we stayed there together in silence, nothing but the wind and chirps of birds breaking it.

After a bit we slowly broke the hug, both of us smiling at each other, -There's somewhere I want to go real quick,- I said.

"Where's that?" She asked.

I slowly led her to where I wanted to go. There was a duo set of graves, next to a smaller one.

"These are…" She put the pieces together.

-They're my family's,- I said sadly.

I just sat at the graves, nothing to say, nothing to do, I just wanted to sit. Elizabeth did the same, sitting beside me in front of them.

Again, the same silence continued, but it was not as tense as it once was. I imagined I was in the park, with Elizabeth still sitting next to me, the only difference being my family was also there, enjoying their lives, like they should be able to.

I imagined this for a little bit, before we were interrupted by someone's voice.

"You two seem peaceful," It was a woman's voice, and I recognized it.

I turned around to see my teacher, Mrs. Leonhart, with her brown hair in the wind as her blue eyes looked at me through her glasses.

I made a noise as a greeting to her.

Elizabeth got up with me, "This is one of your teachers right?"

I nodded at her.

"Yep, it's nice to meet you, I presume you're Elizabeth correct?" She asked.

"Yes, I am, how do you know?" Elizabeth quarried.

"Xeta used to talk about you sometimes in class… and I also heard about you from the list of victims, and I can see that… I'm so sorry, you shouldn't have had to go through all this," She apologized.

"Miss, it's okay, that was not your fault, not in the slightest Mrs…?" She asked not knowing the name.

"It's Leonhart, but outside of school I go by Mila," She said.

"Well Mila, what are you doing out here?" Elizabeth asked.

"Probably doing the same thing Xeta is here to do, visit someone," She explained.

Elizabeth was confused, "Really? Who?"

Mila walked away a few steps before answering, "My son…"

Elizabeth's eyes widened, I had realized when she said visit someone who it might have been.

"I'm… I'm so sorry…" Elizabeth said.

"It's fine really, I mean… it's not okay, but it wont stop me from living," She said.

"But why…? He was your son," Elizabeth said.

"That is true… but I came to realize, that after a while, I still have more here I care about, as long as you have something to care for, then life will always be worth living, no matter how much you lose… right Xeta?" She looked towards me.

I gave her a kind smile, and nodded at her.

She returned the smile, "You two stay safe, and… don't do anything crazy until after high school, there really isn't a rush, okay?"

We both gave an embarrassed laugh at that, "Okay, we wont," Elizabeth said.

"Stay safe you two," Mila said and walked off.

We both looked down at my families grave.

-She's right, as long as you have something to care for, life will always be worth living,- I said.

Elizabeth looked sadly down at the graves, and back over to where the funeral was.

"Yeah… No question about it… Let's keep fighting, okay?" She held her hand to me.

I didn't answer, I reached out, and planned to go forth into the future along with her.

… No matter what the cost…


	23. New Years Update

So I have an announcement. I have reached my 1 year anniversary on DA, and have reached my one year anniversary for writing. It happened in december, but I had forgotten about it.

Alot of things are going to change here. First off I now have an art tablet, that will help me be able to bring you all quality drawings and comics over on DeviantArt.

Secondly, writing and art will be varied on when I do them. Sometimes I feel like drawing and others writing, and lately I have been leaning towards drawing more. Does that mean I will stop my stories? No, of course not. There are people who want to read them, and I am not the type of person to just give up on something. So that is something I wanted to point out.

Thirdly. I have been trying to think about what I am doing and how I am going to do it. What will my life have in store? I want to try and become some kind of cartoonist, manga drawer, artist, writer? At this point, I enjoy all of the above, and this is what I enjoy doing. I dont know what this year is going to have in store for me, and for everyone else. That being said, if doing this brings others happyness and joy, then I will do what I can to do it.

Fourth and finally. I have an announcement to make to everyone here. Later down the line, with that latest page done, I am going to be starting a new comic. I know that kind of stupid, seeing as how much I already have on my plate, BUT. I like trying new things, I truly do. So, I have decided to bring you all a brand new story, with brand new characters, all in a comic/manga form. It will be pokemon, but I think this change of pace I will do, which will be doing a more, traditional pokemon story, trainers, all that. We will consider this my, "1 Year Anniversary" surprise for all my watchers and fans out here.

I believe, that is all I have to say for now. Anyways, here is me hoping that everyone will enjoy the work I continue to bring out, and hopefully I can try to make a living later down the line in this format. It, will take a while, but I am eager to try, not just for me, but for all of you.

I thank you for taking your time to read this info update on my channel, and I sorely apologize for the lack of content I have been bringing to the table. I will do my best to bring you my works/stories/comics for you all to see.

See you guys on the cover for the new comic, I hope you will enjoy it.


	24. Chapter 23 Backfire

It had been a week or so after the funeral. Nothing has come up since then thankfully. Elizabeth has been having a tough time in school, whether it's from her being scared to go back, to people calling her names, and other things. I did my best to watch over her, and support her through this time. People can be cruel, but if they go to far, I can be crueler.

During this time I also watched over Elizabeth's house and the school itself, looking out to see if any more attacks were going to happen. Luckily it didn't look like that would be the case. It's been a week now and nothing, maybe since both of those creatures were killed they will be careful.

Even though it was quiet, we weren't out of the mud yet, Karver, I still need to get a hold of him. That man, he knows these people, he knows where I can get info on them, and that is what, I'm going to do.

I informed Elizabeth what I was doing. As much as I expected her to deny it, she was completely on board, I guess she still holds a grudge, and no reason she shouldn't.

Bruce and I were going to use the same set up, fake bombs, all that jazz. Thankfully we were able to retrieve the fake bombs and headed out of there in no time flat.

We waited a few more days, did school, ate, and prepared for this day. The last time we had our chance, we were sidetracked, understandably. We drove to the same spot we did that night, he set up on the roof, and I set up the fake bombs.

I joined back up with him, snacks in hand, and we waited. It was around midnight when I started to hear cars come our way.

-Bruce, get down,- I said.

"Okay!" He did as was told and laid down on the roof.

The cars pulled up to the building, and people started getting out to have their meeting. I noticed Karver and his crew again. They all went inside, while two people locked the door and stood guard.

-Alright remember, no shooting unless completely necessary,- I said to Bruce.

"Got it man, no worries," He whispered.

I walked down the roof, and jumped off, landing quietly. I noticed the two at the gate. I thought of the best course of action for this. I got to the roof of the building they were guarding, and looked down over them.

To take out the first one I took the simplest approach. The guard to my left I jumped down onto him, knocking him to the ground hard. Of course the second guard noticed and tried to fire, but I used my speed to knock the gun out of his hands before he had a chance to fire the gun.

After losing his gun, he quickly pulled out a switch blade, and tried to slash me. I dodged his two slashes then quickly grabbed the arm with the hand holding his knife. I then put my paw on the joint of his arm, and used my ability to send force, causing the arm to dislocate. Before he could scream, I followed up with a knee to the face, knocking him out. I heard the other guy shuffle, trying to grab his gun, but I quickly ran over, and soccer kicked him to knock him out.

After that I walked over to the lock on the door, making sure I had the fake detonator on me.

"Ok, here we go," I psyched myself up.

My hood was up, my sword and shotgun were ready. Here we go.

I formed a blue staff from my energy, but instead of it's normal blue, it was now like a darkish, purple, wonder why?

Anyways, I hit the pad lock and let it break. Then as for dramatic flare, put my paw against the door, and let rip another shot of force, causing it to burst open. As soon as it opened, all eyes in the building were on me.

Some of the men pulled their gun, but the man I identified as Karver, seemed confused, not scared or anything.

I decided to speak first, -Well, hello there, sorry to drop by, but I have something to discuss with Karver,- I used my telepathy to send to everyone in the room.

Karver walked forward, "You, how did you get in here, and how do you know m-" He looked behind me and saw two of his guards knocked out.

-Yeah them, see they would have made a ruckus, no fret though, I only knocked them out,- I informed.

"So.. you have something to discuss with me eh? Do tell, first off why should I even? You just knocked out two of my men," He said.

-Well, I have something important to discuss, and I can only get info on this from you,- I explained.

"Oh? And what info would that be?" Karver said, seemingly interested.

I smirked, -The drug you sold to Monty Landers, and who you got it from.-

As those words left my mind his expressions went from curious, to shocked, then to sour. His face went to one of intense hatred.

"How do you… know that name?" He said slowly.

-See Karver, I have my business, you have yours, now if you would comply with my request, then maybe we can come to terms on how I know,- I explained in a calm, but serious manner.

"And what is keeping me from having my men blow you away?" Karver questioned.

-Hehehe… well, maybe this,- I quickly pulled out the detonator, and pointed at the roof. Everyone saw the 'bombs' on the roof, and started to get scared, except for Karver.

-Let me just say I am closest to the door, I doubt you guys will be able to get out before I can, and if you do shoot me, well I will have plenty of time to ignite them,- I explained.

"Oh? You don't say?" Karver said with a smirk.

Oh no.

"Well that would work, if they were real," He said.

I growled, -What sort of game do you think I'm playing?-

"Honestly, next time remember not to keep the so called bombs here when you leave," He explained. His men started to get more confident.

Shit.

-Ah I see, guess that was a fatal error, a life or death situation can cause that sort of miss hap you know?- I said.

"Now as I said, you know too much, so you will not leave here with your life," He explained, "Men, n-"

-I'm the one who killed Monty,- I sent to him.

"W-what?" He said confused, now he looked scared, "So… wait you…"

-Not only that,- I took my hood off for everyone to see, his men were shocked, and Karver himself even more so.

-I'm the one, he used that drug on,- I sent to him.

His men backed off slowly, not understanding what they were looking at.

-Now then Karver, you wish to comply now? Cause let me tell you, even with all your men and your guns, with this much space to mover freely, you will all die,- I said with a menacing growl, then to further prove my point I let some of this dark, purple aura start lifting off me.

He seemed to weigh his options, then spoke, "That drug… did that?"

I looked down, -Yeah, it did, I used to be a human, as you should already know.-

"Yeah, I figured," He said, "Lower your weapons!"

His men did as they were ordered, and waited on standby.

Karver looked at me with a scowl, "Alright you wanted answers, so start asking questions."

-What, was the drug?- I asked.

"I don't know, everything about it was left vague to me," He said.

-So you know Monty?- I asked.

"Not long, all I know his he was used to this line of work, and was extremely skilled, so if you took him down, I must assume you are as well," He explained.

-Who did you get the drug from?- I asked.

"This group, they call themselves, 'The Reapers,' they are usually very stealthy, and you wont find any of them on normal terms, but, I might be able to give you a lead," He explained.

-Oh? And what would it be?- I questioned.

"Basically, I've got a supplier, he tells me everything I need, and gives me all he stuff and drugs I need when I'm supposed to sell them, and you killed the guy I had supplied with their drugs," Karver answered.

-Where is he?- I asked.

"And why should I tell you that? I think I've spoke enough," He said.

I pulled out my shotgun and pointed it at him, -Cause I'll kill you.-

"You really don't like compromising do you?" He asked.

-Well no, at the moment I am very unreasonable, my parents are dead, my brother is dead, and I'm f***ing pissed off, so yeah, I'm not,- I said angry.

"I see… an old bookstore in town, Lion's Dome, that's where they are, it's the man that owns that store, that's where you will find him," He explained.

-Is that all you know?- I asked.

"I don't work with them, I have my own things I do."

-Yeah, I guess so, well then, I guess we're done here, and oh, don't follow me, or I really will kill you,- I threatened.

"I figured…" He finished.

I then took my time to leave, not realizing what was going on in there.

Karver POV:

"Get after them, if we can kill him before that trap, then it will be over, and we wont have to deal with those consequences. You four, go now," I said to my four best men.

Xeta POV:

I had got up to the roof of the building nearby and told Bruce we had to go, and that I got what we needed. We climbed down and started heading back to the truck, when I started hearing footsteps behind us.

-Oh no,- I said.

"They followed us?" Bruce asked me.

-Yeah, they must want me dead, get some cover, I'll take em' from above,- I said.

"G-got it!" He ran back to hide behind a tree and I jumped up to wait.

I counted four people, and used my aura sight to see if there were anymore, no just four…

I would have to stop them here, they cant get to the truck. I pulled out my sword and shotgun to prepare. I jumped down, but them hearing the trees, backed off, too bad for him I threw my sword, it cutting him in the process. I then swung my arm with the shotgun and shot the guy behind me.

I then quickly jumped knowing bullets would be flying, which they started. A bullet grazed me, and I used my speed to get cover, and pumping the shotgun. They didn't let up on the tree I was using as cover though. But I heard a rifle shot go off, and one of them falling to the ground in pain.

The other man who was shooting returned fire. I used this as my opportunity to jump from cover, and hit him with a shot. I wasn't close enough for major damage. I ran up and used my spikes to slash him before he could fire again. I then ripped them out, causing him to fall in pain. The guy Bruce shot was starting to get his bearing, and almost fired at me, but he received another bullet from Bruce, which I then took my opportunity to hit him with a staff I formed.

He was down, but I didn't know if he was out. But the guy I had thrown my sword at, was now using it. Before he could hit I made my tail turn to steel, then push him back. I tried to use my shotgun, but he knocked it from my paws with my sword.

To counter him I started using my claws and tail to block the strikes.

We clashed once, and as soon as we did, he pulled out a pistol. I quickly jumped back to avoid the bullet. He tried to follow-up and stab me while I was on the ground, which I rolled away from. I quickly used my speed to get behind a tree to hide.

I heard rifle shots and pistol shots getting hit back and forth at each other. The rifle shots stopped, and the other guy had stopped shooting. I took my opportunity to run out and start fighting again, knocking my sword from him, and taking it back for myself, holding it backhanded. Then with my opportunity, I used the handle of the sword to knock his gun away, took hold of his arm, spun around him, and stabbed him in the back.

I then kicked him down, took his gun, and pulled my sword out.

I took a breath, thinking everything was over. But before I knew it I heard a gun being lifted, I spun around, and saw the guy that I thought was out back up, his gun aimed right at me, but then I saw, and heard another thing.

Before I knew it, with the sound of a revving engine, a truck hit the guy who aimed at me, and he flew past me. I ducked for cover, then looked at the truck… it was Bruce!

He kicked open his door, "GET IN!"

I quickly got up, sheathed my sword, grabbed my shotgun and an auto rifle. I opened the door, threw my stuff in, and Bruce took off. On the way I kept looking behind us to make sure we weren't followed. After ten minutes, I assumed we were okay.

Bruce had been driving slow, and both of us were breathing heavily.

"Okay, either you have really dumb luck, or are just really fast… Cause you came out of that without a scratch, both of us did," Bruce said exhausted.

-I would say speed, I will say it wears me out, but in that kind of situation, I don't think being tired… matters…- I explained.

"How are you… even able to do that… anyway?" He asked taking breaths.

-I don't know, if I told you, but basically, at that speed, it's like, everything slows down for me… it's strange…- I explained.

"I guess that makes sense, but like, it must feel weird, right?" He asked.

-Of course it does, it like everything's in slow mo,- I explained

"Gotcha, so where do we go from here?" he asked.

-Take me back to my cave, I got these for you,- I said

"Oh? An assault rifle… and a pistol?" Bruce looks surprised.

-I think it will do better in a fight, but might have a bad kick, you know?- I said.

"Yeah well, I guess it works," He said.

He took me back to my place and I started to clean and pack the weapons.

"So, do you think the ones that attacked us are… alive?"

-Honestly, no…- I answered, -Maybe one or two, but I know they suffered serious injuries, so honestly hard to say.-

"I see… how are you just, okay with it?" Bruce asked me.

I took a breath, -I'm… I'm honestly not, but I keep looking back on this, and keep thinking to myself, Not only did they kill my family, but how many innocent people did they kill or make them suffer? No one deserves to die, but also, they can't be allowed to do this anymore... Bruce, you helped me realize that I needed to start taking action, but after what happened to Elizabeth & Sunny, now it's personal. They have to be stopped so we can live our daily lives including my friends that are connected to me...

Bruce looked down, "Then, I guess I have no choice either," He gave me a smile, "If they are going for people connected to you, guess I got no choice either, so, I'm with you, life or death!"

I smiled back at him, -I guess I can't stop you can I?-

"You should know me by now!"

I laughed, -Guess you're right. Anyways, I'll see you at school yeah?-

"Will do, Ciao," He got in his truck and drove off.

After I got back to my cave, I pulled out my phone.

"Alright then," I started, "Lion's Dome bookstore."


	25. Chapter 24 Performance

I had been doing research the past few days on the library and what was so special about it. From what I could tell there really wasn't much to gather. I truly didn't understand what was so special about this place, but it's the only lead we have, so we would have to take the chance.

There was no rush for this place, we could take it at any time, so we could prepare, and prepare we would do. But I also had other business, I wasn't paying attention to the date really. It's coming up to the date of the talent show!

Elizabeth had been planning to sing for days preparing for this day, but… Ever since the incident, she has been afraid to ever go on any kind of performance or stage. For now, I'm trying to help her get her courage back, but…

She was in her room, sitting down in a corner, looking down at her song she had written. Tears were falling from her face like rain pouring from the sky. She wasn't bawling, but it was a quiet sobbing she was making, exasperated breaths leaving her mouth in tandem.

I didn't say anything to her, I was undisguised, staying quiet until she felt like speaking to me. What was I going to say to her in this situation? She had planned to do this, she was ready, but now she was maimed, scarred. Even though I could look past what happened, that doesn't mean she cant. I knew how she was feeling in a way though. She looked different then she did before, it must be hard to try and show your face in front of people again after that, it was for me.

"Xeta…" Her voice spoke soft, like if she was just breathing out the words.

-Yeah?- I returned to her.

"I don't know what to do…" She admitted.

-About what?- I asked innocently.

"Should I go to the show, and perform, and quite possibly be humiliated by everyone there… Or don't, and keep the dignity that I have left?" She asked quietly.

-What do you mean… have left? You haven't lost any dignity in my eyes…- I said.

"In yours… Just because it's your eyes, doesn't mean everyone sees me that way… Scarface." She said.

That name confused me, -Scar… face?-

"I've heard people call me that behind my back, it's my new nickname…" She admitted.

That made me boil with rage, anger, madness, and more. My ears perked up, and fur stiffened.

"Please, don't get mad… It's obvious they were gonna make those comments, that's just how it goes.." She said with contempt in your voice.

-Too bad your not good at hiding emotions, I can tell your just as mad as I am,- I said calming down.

"So, I'm an open book… and a bad decision maker, what do I do?" She asked.

I thought for a moment, and an idea struck me.

"Let me try something real quick," I said.

I let my paw with my bright, purple energy, and made sure it was only enough to make light, not hurt or burn.

She backed off, and I quickly explained, -It's okay, I promise, just let me try this… You trust me, right?-

"O-Of course! Yeah, sorry…" She apologized.

-It's ok…- I replied.

I gently took my paw, and while focusing on her scars, moved it across them. Now, while I had no power to heal, I was able to do something interesting.

I backed off, -There, go look in the mirror,- I said.

She got up and did what I said, and when she say what I had done her face glowed with delight. Her scars now looked like they had purple fire flowing from them, making them look like she was a master of fire.

"Xeta! Oh my god! This is incredible!" She exclaimed.

I walked up to her, to her arm in my paw, and stroked over the scars on it. They got the same treatment on the ones for her face, making her look even more like someone able to control fire. She just looked at herself in glee, as if she was a kid in the candy store. I think this was the happiest I had ever seen her.

"Ok, we are hitting Disney levels of magic here, but right now this is awesome," She said.

-I mean, it's basically what I'm usually doing when a start fighting, but instead of using it for me, I'm basically just letting it be on you as a light source,- I explained.

"So wait, what exactly would this be for?" She asked.

-Well, if you are worried about people judging for your scars, lets give them a performance that will blow 'em away,- I explained.

"So… you want to help me? Wouldn't that be kinda cheating?" She asked.

-Well, it's up to you, but hey, it would be like a duet sort of thing you know? And besides, I'm just makin special effect to go along with the song!- I explained.

"I guess so… how cool do you think it would be?" She asked.

-Enough to make you look like a fire god or something like that!- I said.

"Alright, well, let's start prepping okay? We'll meet after school tomorrow to set up alright?" She said.

-Alright, will do!- I replied.

The next day after school we went to my cave and started preparing for our act. So what we were going to do is when she hits the high point of her song, I will her dress, and the sides of her face light up with my energy, so that she will really shine for her song.

Once that happens I will make a pillar of my energy and use it as cover to walk through on go on stage to dance with her.

"So you come out, and then what?" She asked.

-Hm… Haven't really thought of that…- I said.

"Well… what do you suggest?" She asked.

I thought for a minute, trying to come up with a decision, then it hit me.

-How about we dance!- I said.

"Dance!? B-but.. I'm not good at dancing…" She said.

-We don't have to make some complicated dance, it could just be a slow dance, and even better, using the energy I showed earlier, we may be able to add even more flare to the performance!- I exclaimed.

"How so?" She asked.

-While we dance I will have the energy make trails as we dance, of course nothing would actually burn, but I really do think we could knock it out of the park you know?!- I said.

"Do you really think you could do that? What if you tire out while having your disguise?" She asked.

-Hmm… Good point… WAIT! Have you thought of a theme for the song!?- I asked.

"Well, I was thinking something to do with medieval, like a princess, so what would work with that?"

-Just get me a suit of armor, like a prop suit with a helmet, we'll just have to find a helmet in a weird shape, hopefully an animal of some kind, or just a big helmet, I don't know really…- I admitted.

"I know! I'll talk to some people in drama club, see if they could help us out!" she said.

-Alright then, sounds like a plan to me! So, you ready to start practicing?- I asked.

"Alright, let's start!"

We have practiced this a few times now, the dance, and the effects I am supposed to use. After a few days of practicing before the show, we got me an outfit to wear. It was a prop suit of armor, and I practiced using a effects with it as well.

After practicing, singing, dancing, and more, it was time to take it on stage. I was hiding backstage, out of sight from people, not letting anyone see me. I was near the room where Elizabeth was prepping. I had tried to text Bruce and asked if he wanted to come along, but he said he was busy with something, I didn't really know what though.

Anyways, she was preparing. She wanted to wear makeup, but I told her not to hide her scars, there would be no point in it. If this was to help her regain confidence, I thought she would need to not try physical features.

I know as hypocritical as that sounds coming from me, but I don't think she would become an area 51 experiment over a few scars.

Now then, she was preparing her black dress with long sleeves, and a tiara going along with our theme for the song. But all of the sudden, this snobby looking girl walked up.

"Oh look! Scarface is performing!" She said.

Elizabeth briefly ignored her and continued to her things.

"Aw come on, you wouldn't want to go on stage and scare anyone now would you? Think if you're up there, and your scars just start oozing nasty, icky, blood onto the crowd! Oh, I would not want to be you in that situation," The girl continued.

I could tell Elizabeth was starting to get pissed, so I decided to take action, if she hit this girl or screamed out she wouldn't be able to perform. So before she could I came out in my costume of armor, and used telepathy to speak to both of them.

-Hey, you, you better listen up, keep harassing her and I will make sure you aren't allowed to perform, got it?- I told the girl in a stern tone.

She looked at me with a glare and scoffed, "Heh, whatever, snitch," and that was it, she walked off.

"Hey.. thanks," She said.

-Don't let someone like that get to you, just, let's give them a show to remember,- I explained.

"A-alright!" she replied.

We still had a while to wait for our performance. But a few of them were already having to perform.

The first act was a boy performing a magic act, which was actually pretty neat. He performed some classic tricks like sawing someone in half, and he even performed a floating person trick, it was really cool. For his finale he made a bouquet of flowers turn into a cloud of confetti.

Everyone clapped with glee with the performance, as much magic as I could perform, I still probably would never figure out how he did the trick.

The girl from before was doing some kind of traditional dance. It was slow, but she moved in rhythm to the soft music that was playing. It was a good dance, but her beauty betrays the hate and evil behind the ruse.

Before it was about time to go on I noticed that her parents were actually in the audience… that's actually sweet of them to be here.

It was about time to begin, and they gave her the signal, and I went backstage to prepare for my entrance.

She walked on stage, and I watched quietly from the back, the spotlight was on her and everything. Apparently the song she chose was a bit of a reworking of an already existing song.

She then began.

"Everyone…. Can you hear me…. Does my call… Reach you…" She sung slowly, most of her words rolling with her voice.

"You all….. are you listening… Can I…. get to you…" As her song continued, her voice became higher, and faster.

"There's a part of me that wants to make changes… Tired of feeling like I'm always gone… But there's a part of me that, looking from within my soul… a part of me that feels I might not be whole… That I cant… Be… Strong…"

That was my cue, before the next sentence, I quickly started letting my energy flow, and from the scars on her face, and the fabric on her arms and edges of her skirt, my energy erupted, giving the beautiful glow of purple across her body. Everyone in the crowd quickly looked on in awe, amazed by what they were looking at.

Elizabeth then started chanting while the fire flowed around her.

"I"VE BEEN AFRAID! Of everyone I know, all being taken away in stride….! I believed everything would stay, just like how we've used to known! But listen when I say, I swear it here today, no matter what happens my life… is… MINE…..!" On her last verse I let the fire glow even brighter around her, and from a pillar behind her I walked out in the armor, which was glowing brightly with my own flames.

The music became a bit more heavy, and fast, and I came in the knight suit and got on a knee while handing her my prop sword which also had the flames.

She took the sword and continued singing, "Amazing how you looked for me, kept me in serenity, and made me see…"

She took the sword, and raised the sword above each my shoulders, giving praise to when knights were bestowed their honor.

"The way you always looked at me, but I was always young and never had… a clue…!"

She then handed me the sword and I quickly sheathed it like we had practiced.

"Born to live a legacy, existing to fill the needs, as royalty… Of this so called family, that has turned me into a majesty… BUT I don't intend to suffer any longer…! Here's where that description falls apart…! I'm shattering my fears, that turned me into pieces," She then looked in the eyes, before speaking her next line.

"That stood between joining our own hearts… So we wont…. Be… Apart…!"

The purple fire I made glow brighter, without increasing the heat, then we took each other, hands and paws, and began dancing.

"WE'RE NOT THEIR PETS! NOT ANOTHER THING THEY OWN! We wont stay for their demise!"

The dance we had was slow, and soft. Not really keeping a solid motion, but moving in tandem with the other, letting our hearts move us, not our minds. As we danced, every step we took left purple fire following us. It left a beautiful trail that made us not even require the spotlight for people to enjoy the beauty.

"Their power and their influence, can't hold us anymore! We wont be possessed, burdened by all the rest! WE WILL NOT SURRENDER, THIS LIFE…. IS…. OURS….!" We gave one last spin as she let out her last vocal note, and as we stopped and faced the audience, I quickly let all the energy burst, leaving trails of glowing, purple dust flying around the room, giving the whole theater a beautiful glow!

In a flash the applause started rolling in, everyone in the crowed was cheering and chanting, and her parents looked astonished, it seems like they truly weren't expecting all of this. I looked at Elizabeth, and she was smiling, and beaming with joy! She looked so happy. I'd never thought I'd see her this happy again… It was refreshing.

We both gave a bow to the audience and headed off stage. Everyone backstage ran up to us and started asking us questions about how we made the fire happen and all that. But Elizabeth simply said to let us go change before answering questions.

We were in the changing room, she was in a stall and so was I. I got into my jacket and all and walked out disguised. While Elizabeth came out just a minute or so later.

"We were great out there! I can't believe it worked that well!" She then hugged me, and I returned it.

"ELIZABETH!" We both heard. I saw her mother running up and ran into a hug.

"Oh my god that was amazing honey! How did you do all those effects?!" She asked as her father came up.

"Great job honey!" He said with a smile.

"Well, thanks you guys, but uh, see I was only singing, the effects were all thanks to Xeta here!" She admitted.

"OH! That's incredible! You made her singing shine even brighter with that performance, thank you so much for doing that for her!" Her mother thanked me.

I nodded as a reply to her.

Elizabeth smiled, "You guys really… thought I was great?"

"Of course! Everything about your performance was phenomenal!" Her mother stated.

"ALRIGHT! It's time to announce the winner!" The announcer outside said.

"OH! Go get ready! I know you're going to win this!" Her mother said, and we walked off.

We waited for the announcer to give the winner, and then…

"Elizabeth Sivers, and Xeta Shidel! Come on up!" The announcer exclaimed.

We both ran up there, and it seemed that the girl from before was miffed, very miffed.

The principal was the one who actually came out and gave us each an award. It was a medal that we were able to wear. It felt great being up on stage with her and seeing her so happy. I didn't really care if I won, I was just glad she succeeded in what she had planned on doing this whole time.

After the awards were given out, she asked her parents if she could come to my place to spend the night. They thought I would do something like that, but they made me promise that I wouldn't do anything to her, which I wouldn't dare.

After getting out of sight of the school, I used my speed to get us there faster. It was a bit cold today, spring time here wasn't as warm as it should be, but that's just how it goes here. After entering the cave, we sat down, I got to cooking, and she turned on something for us to watch.

It was a show called about an explorer girl, and a robot boy traveling down this abyss, it was really cool to watch actually.

After eating and enjoying the show, she took hold of my paw.

"I really… don't know how to thank you for all you've done…" She said.

-What?- I asked.

"You've helped me for years, been with me for years, you've saved me more than once, you've helped me so many times… I really don't deserve someone like you in my life…" She explained.

I was shocked she said that, but I knew how to reply to her, -You say that, yet I don't deserve someone like you…-

"I haven't done that much…" she admitted.

-You did, in fact, you've done more than you think… through thick and thin, no matter what happened to me, or what happened to you, and it even didn't matter what I was… you're still here, you're still with me, you've stayed with me all this time, through everything… by doing that you saved me, saved me from everything… thank you for everything!- I smiled.

She looked down with a calm smile, and that smile turned to one of pure joy, and she nuzzled her head into my neck, "I love you…"

Her words took me back a bit, but again, I knew how to reply, -I love you too.-

Those words left my mind as I laid my head on hers. And as the night became quiet, so did we, drifting off into a deep sleep.

(? POV)

"Alright, so you know what to do right?" The person I was speaking to on the phone spoke.

"Yeah… I know…" I said back.

"At the library, you will take that injection," I looked at the syringe in my hand as he said that, "And you will fight, or you know what's gonna happen to them…"

I paused for a minute.

"Did I make myself clear?" The man on the phone said.

"Yes… you did. You'll get what you want, and even if I lose they go free right?" I replied.

"Yes… that is an agreement, we wont go back on our word," they said.

"Alright… then, you've got it, as long as you keep your word, I'll keep mine," I said.

"Alright, then we're done here…" The man then hung up.

I gave an exhausted breath, "Sorry… Xeta… Guess I wasn't careful enough…"


	26. Chapter 25 Interrogation

(POV: ?)

"Hey," I heard someone say to me quietly. Who was it again?

"Hey!" They spoke a bit louder this time, but who cared, I needed rest.

"Officer Veil!" At my name I looked up.

"Yes?" I asked lifting my head up from my workspace.

"Ma'am, how is the investigation going?" My associate asked me.

"It's going alright, I just got tired. This second attack on the same school this year… and all of those…" I stopped myself.

"Yeah, I can agree with you, I really don't even understand how these creatures even exist, first the ice creatures, and now this blue dog and dragon looking thing," My co worked exclaimed.

"Yeah, Jim, how did these things get here do you think?" I asked.

"I'm not too sure ma'am, can't really say I would know… but, that blue dog," Jim started.

"Yeah I know, the government wants him, but you know what, I'm not having that, I'm not gonna let them just hide the fact this happened. People died, but that one seemed to know what was going on, I'm not letting this just disappear, not in my town…" I proclaimed.

"Well ma'am that's great and all," Jim started, "But that's not what I wanted to tell you, that blue dog, he's ready to talk…"

I looked at him with a serious expressions, and without even speaking, walked out to go to the creature.

I walked into a room with one sided glass, and on the other side of the glass was the creature. Approximately it was three feet, eleven inches. It had blue, grey, and tan fur running across it's body. It's head and ears drooped, as his eyes just stared down into nothingness.

"Alright, I'm going in," I said twirling my pony tail.

"You sure ma'am?" One of the watches said.

"Yeah, let me in," I grabbed my clip board, my pen, and walked inside.

I walked inside as the door closed behind me. The atmosphere in the room, felt tense, as if everything around me would collapse. Knowing what this creature could do left me in a state of unease. As from the reports, he had unbelievable strength, and had incredible speed to back it up. They all said different things, and I'm inclined to believe all of them were correct about this things abilities.

But a voice in my mind made my fears and worry's lessen a bit, -Hello…-

"H-hi…" I replied while getting seated.

He didn't look at me, his head was still drooping down.

"Hey, can you look at me?" I asked.

His head slowly looked up, and his eyes… They were a bright crimson, but… it was as if all the light from his eyes was taken away from him. All that remained, was a pitch black darkness… looking into his eyes were like looking into an abyss, and in that abyss was nothing but pain, despair, sorrow…

I felt bad for him, but I had my job to do, "Can you give me your name?"

He paused for a minute before I heard the name, -Xeta, Shidel…-

My body turned cold when I heard that name, "Wait… Xeta Shidel, as in the Xeta who was harmed in an arsonist attack? The one who saved that girl from those creatures?"

-That is me ma'am,- before my very eyes his body had energy swirl, and when it disappeared his body was that of the boy I had met a few weeks prior.

-This, you see now, is nothing but a disguise….- His body then returned to his animalistic form, -This is what I looked like, past that attack,- He said.

"You were changed… is that what I'm getting from all this?" I asked while writing down this information as fast as I could.

-There is no use lying anymore, and I don't exactly care anymore… so yes, I was, I was changed, and hid my form from all of you,- He explained, and I wrote.

"Why would you do that?! Why didn't you tell anyone?" I asked.

-It's obvious, I didn't tell anyone, because of government, being taken, having my life stolen from me…. Like it already has…- He said looking away from me.

"So… the night I met you, I knew by your eyes, that something was off about you, but even then, I never would have expected this… so you're not an alien or whatever?" I asked.

-I don't know what I am, I was never told, or needed to care really…- He admitted.

"Ok… I guess that wraps up that question... Tell me, there were some strings of some animals coming pu dead in the forest, and not only that, some people in some kind of task force outfits, and a few drug dealers… was th-" he cut me off.

-All me, everyone but the hunter, that's all,- He admitted.

"You… you do realize you just admitted to multiple accounts of murder, correct?" I asked.

-For self-defense, and the safety of others, weren't the people at the school also wearing those task force outfits?- He asked me.

"Well yes… but it's still murder!" I exclaimed.

-Not like it matters anyway, I don't really care anymore,- He once again admitted.

"You keep saying you don't care… but why is that?" I asked.

He gave a small laugh, and smiled sadly at me, -Should it not be so obvious?-

I looked down at the notes I had been writing.

"Alright, well, that's not important right now, at this moment, there was another strange occurrence that took place a week back, at a library… do you care to condone if it was you or not?" I asked.

-It was, but it wasn't me alone…- He said.

"Do you care to explain?" I asked him.

-I don't mind at all, but it will take a bit of explaining, so listen closely,- He explained.

I then waited for him to start.

(Xeta POV, 1 week earlier)

It was the day after the concert, it was a normal day at school, well not exactly normal. A lot of people were congratulating me and Elizabeth on our performance together at the talent show. I guess we both impressed them, with her voice, and my effects, it really was a match made in heaven for a show like that.

While we were at lunch we barely had any time to speak to each other, cause people kept asking questions from us and just complimenting. Wasn't really the type of person who likes to have attention, but I guess I had no choice.

The day thankfully ended, but what was weird was there was no sign of Bruce anywhere, I wonder where he wandered off to.

After school, I went back to my cave, and decided to hunt. After nabbing a good deer I headed back to prepare it. In the middle of preparing I got a text message. It was from Bruce.

"Hey you there!? Sorry, I got caught up with my family," He texted.

I texted back, "It's fine, don't worry about it. So what's going on?"

"Well, I found out some stuff about the library, I found out there is an alarm system there. If we disable it, then it wont be a problem if we get in. There is also some security cameras," he explained.

"Jeez, you found all that out? You visited the place or something?" I asked.

"Yeah it was pretty easy, just went in there and looked inside, with how fast you are you should be able to get us in there easily. There are camera's in the corners of the room, but I'm not too sure about the alarm, but I think it was the thing behind the desk," He texted.

"Alright, when should we hit the place then?" I texted to him.

"Are you free tonight? I kind of need to do this cause of my family," He said.

"Alright that should be fine, I'll meet you there ok?" I said.

"Alright, there is an alleyway behind the store, meet me there at eleven," He texted.

"Alright, will do," I finished and put my phone down.

I continued to prepare the deer I caught. Cutting it, laying it out, cooking it, and all that.

Afterwards I got to eating it. Had me some cola along with it. After watching TV and doing some other things, it was around ten, thirty.

I got another text, it was from Elizabeth, "Hey how are you?"

"I'm fine, me and Bruce are doing something tonight," I replied.

"Alrighty, I'm going to be staying home tonight, so you guys stay safe alright?" She said.

"Will do, stay safe ok?" I said.

"Alright, later," She replied.

I then got ready to go. Got my gear, and our guns just in case.

I then took a back route through the forest to get to that part of town. To make things less suspicious, I made the gun cases look invisible to anyone who would look at them. I made it to the address and went to the alleys behind the buildings. I found Bruce had already got here before me, seems I made it on time.

"Yo, what's up?" He asked.

-Nothing, you ready to get this over with?- I asked.

"Yeah, alright now listen, in the corner to the left of this door is one camera, the other one in the corner diagonally from it, it's next to the entrance. Once you take them out quickly destroy the alarm, hopefully it works," Bruce explained.

-Well what type was it?- I asked.

"It looked plain and simple, nothing too advanced," He said.

-Then it should be fine, hopefully, let's just see how it goes,- I said.

I got myself ready, and in one swift motion broke through the door, and went straight left. I saw the camera there and without hesitating, I turned my tail to steel, and destroyed it. I then proceeded to make a bone staff and threw it at the other camera after jumping over a shelf in the store. Perfect shot.

Then for the final show, with the amount of time I had remaining, I stabbed through the protective seal on the alarm, and destroyed it, making it unusable.

(Officer Veil POV, Present)

"You say you destroyed the cameras? Well, you were mistaken on that front," I explained.

-I was?- Xeta asked.

"One of them was still on, we have footage from that night. But we couldn't see much, just we could tell there were signs of a scuffle between you, and another person, do you want to enlighten me to who that person was Xeta?" I asked.

-I was just getting to that, don't worry, you'll have your answers,- he promised.

"Alright then, if you would, please continue."

(Xeta POV, 1 week prior)

Bruce came in after I did my work.

"As great as always you know?" He said.

-You don't have to flatter me for breaking and entering,- I said.

"Anyways, let's get looking alright?" He said.

-Alright,- I agreed.

I started with the front desk. We both looked for anything that might count as evidence or info for the group that did this to me. We searched every drawers, and found some files. We started reading through them, but we weren't able to find anything on it. We checked the next drawer and found more files. This time it was just bills on.

It was just a seas of files, and nothing gave us any insight onto what we were dealing with or what we were even supposed to do.

-Damn it, alright I'm going to check the computer now,- I said.

"Alright, I will say if there is anything in the back room," He said.

-WAIT!- I told him.

"What? What is it?" He asked.

-Here,- I went out, got his gun case, then brought it back to him.

-Just in case- I said.

"Alright," He got out his gun and entered the back room.

I started checking the computer. No lock which was a bit strange, but I guess it is just a library. I started looking through the files to find anything unique or out of the ordinary, and I still couldn't find anything.

"Yo Xeta?" Bruce said.

-Yeah?- I asked.

"Could I see your phone for a minute?"

-Uh, sure here,- I handed him my phone, and he nodded and went back to look.

I kept looking through files. Video files, photo files, and regular files, but yet I couldn't find anything at all. "F***!" I yelled in my own voice.

"What's wrong?" Bruce came out and asked.

-Nothing, there isn't anything here… we were duped,- I said.

"Well, I wasn't able to find anything either, I'll keep looking, but check out those computers over there, might not be much, but it might have something," He said.

-Alright,- I said.

I walked over to the computers with my hopes up. But not much really, I was getting tired of this. These missions I've gone on have led me in Bruce in circles. Nothing good came from it. Maybe I should just give up? Like, do I really need revenge? Do I really need to stop some organization with who knows how many men? No, I don't, I could just protect those I care about. When we graduate, me and Elizabeth could move away, or something. We don't have to do this, it's not worth it anymore really.

I checked the computers, but still nothing. Yeah, that was it, nothing found, nothing done, and I really didn't care anymore. That was it, I couldn't….

But as if a split second chance, the sound of clicking metal resided behind my head. My ears perked up in response to that very definitive sound. That one small clack of metal, made chills run across my body, already knowing what it was, a gun. If they had fired then, it would have been it, there would have been no way for me to react to the shot, none at all.

Something unexpected happened, something I didn't expect, considering the situation I was in.

"Don't move," the voice said.

…

…

…

(Officer Veil's POV, Present)

"Well?!" I asked in frustration, waiting for Xeta to speak up again.

-I… Uh, I…- He slowly spoke, seeming in shock now, and not knowing how to answer.

-Can…. Can we please take a break for now… I need, to gather my thoughts….- He said calmly.

"Why can't you just tell me now?" I said frustrated.

His eyes opened, the slits in them had become really thin now, I could swear his eyes were even glowing, and this purplish black energy formed from him.

I froze in my chair, not knowing what he was going to do. I realized now, this thing could kill me at any moment. I knew the others on the other side of that glass were ready to let loose their weapons on him, there is no way they wouldn't.

But then his eyes grew sadder and his energy faded. I finally felt myself breath again.

-Please, it's not exactly easy to talk about it,- He said saddened, -I will give you your answers, but please, just give me time, I'm not exactly okay with what I did that night,- He finished.

"Alright, we will continue this later, we will have someone bring you some food a-" I started but was cut off.

-I'm not hungry, just some water please,- He said.

"Alright then, we will have someone bring that to you," I said and left the room, with the door sealing behind me.

"He just admitted to multiple murders officer Veil, isn't this enough?" One of my co workers asked.

"Negative, I need the full story… I feel, I have a feeling that something wasn't right, and he was actually a victim in all this," I said.

"Ma'am you sure, just look at that thing," one of my other workers argued.

"The way he spoke wasn't one of a monster, and besides, my verdict hasn't been given out yet, I still need more info, we'll see how it goes from here, alright?" I ordered.

"Yes Ma'am!" They both yelled.

I turned to look at him. If he really was changed, that means he changed the same night his family died. He's killed before, a unforgiveable act, but the people he took out, they killed his family, hurt his friends… in that regard… what would be the right choice.

I'll have to decide that myself I guess, I'll listen to his story, then I'll make my decision.


	27. Chapter 26 Bloodbath

(Officer Veil POV)

It was a few hours after we last spoke, and now it was time to get my explanation. I entered the room once again, more confident than last time.

"Hello once again," I said.

-Hello…- I heard the creatures voice in my mind. This time he had his eyes on me.

"So, have you pieced together your thoughts from that night?" I asked.

-Yes, I believe I have… Just, listen to everything I have to say please,- he asked.

"I will," I promised.

-Alright… so, as I said before, someone told me to not move…- he started.

"Who was it?" I asked.

He took a moment to gather his thoughts, -It was Bruce.-

(Xeta POV, 1 week prior)

I turned my head, and saw Bruce had his gun up to my head.

-Bruce… what do you think you're doing?- I asked.

At that moment I had no idea what to think, I was scared, confused, lost, I had no idea what to think.

"Turn around, slowly," he said.

I did as was told, but I didn't raise my paws. I noticed he was holding my shotgun. He looked down, and dropped it at my paws.

"Pick it up," He said.

-Bruce, what are you doing?- I asked seriously.

"Pick… it… up…" He said menacingly.

I did as was told, but I didn't aim.

-What, is going on?- I asked.

"It's simple, I'm betraying you, and holding a gun to your head, so you can just kill me," He said.

This reaction shook me, -What?! I'm not going to kill you…-

"Then I'll kill you, is that what you want?" He asked.

-Bruce, what is going on?! JUST TELL ME!- I yelled.

He looked down, and lowered the gun.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to, as much as I thought you were a monster, I just knew you were still you… I thought you could just kill me, and then it would be over, no explanation needed, but I guess I was wrong," He said.

-Bruce…?- I asked.

"They beat us…" He said.

-….What?- I asked slowly.

"They weren't gonna let us just go free, we should have known better… They got my family Xeta," He said.

My eyes widened in realization at what that meant. He was being forced into this.

"I have to fight, or they'll die, end of story," He said.

I looked down, and realized what I got my friend into, -Then… Kill me, I don't want anyone else t- I was cut off.

"No, you need to kill me, there's no other option, they'll come after more people, even maybe Elizabeth, and what's more, you've lost enough in your life, you shouldn't have to lose it all," Bruce said.

-My life doesn't matter!- I argued.

"BUT IT DOES TO ELIZABETH!" he yelled back.

I stayed quiet at that.

"You're just gonna leave her alone after all this? That's not like you, and you know it!" He said.

We both stayed quiet for a minute.

"I don't have to win, my family will still live either way, but if neither of us fight, then they'll die, one life for the price of three, I like those odds, even if I'm the payment," He said.

His eyes pointed down twice, and I looked down at his foot and saw his phone under it, what was he…

-Bruce… don't do th- I tried to say but what was cut off.

"Xeta… be a man, you've killed before… All I am, is just another body to add to the pile," he said, and then it began.

Before I knew it Bruce had already lifted his rifle, he was serious. I had started to hear his finger inch on the trigger, and started to lift the shotgun and tilt my head. I heard the trigger click, and in that instance, I swiftly moved my body to the right to avoid damage. I dodged the bullet, and in retaliation, lifted the shotgun.

I pulled the trigger, and all the scraps of metal shot from the shell, hitting Bruce, and launching him to the floor.

My ears were ringing, and my body was trembling, the full force of what I had just done dawned on me all in one go. My legs gave out and I used my paws to catch myself. What did I just do? Why did I just do that? I felt sick, I just killed my best friend. He tried to kill me of course…. But I just, I felt sick, I didn't want to move, I couln-

My thoughts were put to a halt, like a train slamming on the brakes. Speaking of trains, I felt like I just got hit by one. Something hit me straight in the stomach, and the force was enough to launch me into the wall, falling onto the computers and breaking some of them. What hit me, I looked up to see and… Bruce?

His body was shaking, and his fist was lifted, but I noticed something, on his upper arm was… scales? He suddenly grabbed his head in pain.

"ARGHHHHHHHHHHH!" He started screaming, and the scream go deeper every second.

My eyes widened in fear on what was happening.

"Aww… are you worried about your friend?" I heard over an intercom.

I looked up, not knowing who that was.

"That's actually not necessary anymore, don't worry about him!" It wasn't Karver, it was someone else this time, but his voice… NO!

"Haha, HAHAHAHA! Do you remember me? Cause I remember you," IT WAS MONTY!

My eyes widened.

"HAH! You should see your face, but you cant, anyways, no I'm not a ghost, just a little bit of magic that brought me back from hell, and I've got a bone to pick with you, speaking of bones!" Just then I hear a ripping sound.

"ARGHAHARHA!" I heard Bruce scream in agony, bone had sprouted out from the top parts of his arms and the top parts of his legs. Those scales had continued growing, and some red and purple ones appeared on his neck.

"Oh he didn't tell you did he? Well his other part of our deal, was he will be the test subject for a new serum, and this one is a bit different, the instincts he was given were a lot stronger, and right now the pain he's feeling is a lot more heightened then from your change, and not only that, his brain is slowly being over taken, and I've heard that makes pain even worse! Hehe, HAHAHAHA!"

I looked at my friend in front of me, blood forming around him from his change, I heard a tail sprout, his change seemed to be slower then mine.

"K…K… Kill me! KILL ME! PLEASARHGAHRHA, KILARAGHARH, MEARHGHGAHAHHHHHHH!" He screamed as his body went limp while standing up.

His eyes opened, and they weren't the same ones as before, the whites of his eyes had turned pitch black, and his pupils were now yellow… this wasn't him anymore.

His next action proved it wasn't, I hadn't noticed, but his hands had also changed to these hooks at the ends of his arms, he charged forward with them trying to slice me. I dodged, to my left, but then he just tackled into me, carrying me with him and slamming me into a wall. He then wrapped the hook around my neck and then threw me into the shelves behind him.

I was staggered but was able to get up. The thing that used to be Bruce was now laughing at me, snickering to himself.

Once I got up, I urgently grabbed his phone and slid it into the back room. I then turned to face my enemy.

He had a smile on his face, his teeth now sharp.

I winced, "I'm… I'm sorry old friend, I'll put you to you rest!" I quickly pulled out my sword and charged forward, aiming to stab him. He lifted his arm and my sword made contact… it broke?!

I was then kicked away from him, the force just as strong as last time. I stopped myself this time though. I looked at the broken sword in my paw, and threw it away from me.

I gave a breath, "Alright, then I guess normal weapons wont work on you," I then had white lightning crackle from my paws.

"I'LL END IT!" I screamed.

He yelled and charged.

I wait a moment, he struck, but I appeared behind him easily, placing my paw and his back, and letting the energy flow. He got pushed forward a bit, and I followed up with another, but was hit by his tail on the way.

We both were launched, I hit a shelf and he hit a wall. His tail had hit me in my side, and when I felt there I noticed that there were some cuts in my jacket and skin… His scales!

I got up and threw off my coat and sheathe.

If his scales were sharp, I would have to be careful, he's a walking weapon. So I decided to make a weapon. I formed one of the staffs I could make. It formed from my purple, black energy. He got up as well, still smiling all the way. I noticed his face has started to change, his jaw getting covered in scales, and he was growing larger. He seemed to be in pain, but was still willing to fight.

I got my weapon ready. He began charging, and I held my staff by the end, and used a force palm to launch it into his knee. I heard a resounding crack come from it. I used my speed to run forward, and continued my attack by grabbing the staff and in a rhythm going back and forth to hit him. He got smart and grabbed it with his hook, and I was smarter, made a new one, and swung it up to hit his chin.

I followed up by focusing my energy on the staff to make it float, and spun it as fast as I could, then controlling it to hit him multiple times.

He then got mad and slammed the ground, causing a shock wave to send me flying back, and breaking the windows of the building in the process. When the dust cleared, the room was in shambles, nothing remained like it once was.

I got up from the dust and saw him waiting for me, seems this species is somewhat of a dueling type. He had grown a bit bigger now, and so did his claws.

He charged forward and I formed two bone rush staffs. I started to spin them and used them to hold him back as he was charging forward.

He kept up his rampage, and during it I charged up energy in my paw, placed it on his forehead, and it sent him flying into another wall.

He didn't let up his charge, so I used the staffs, kept them spinning, and used my speed to keep on attacking him.

I jumped forward first, then quickly moved to his right, and hit him with both. He tried to use his tail to retaliate, but I didn't let him, I once again dodged, and had both staffs keep hitting him. I backed off and had them float close to my paws while spinning. He had started to charge, but stopped because of a fin that grew out of his back, but he then quickly continued.

He tried to slash me, but I used one of the staffs to hold back his attack, it acting as a shield. Then I used the other one to hit him, it making contact multiple times thanks to the spin. He tried to sweep low but I jumped up and had both the staffs hit.

I then ran forward fast, and he tried to slash me with both arms. I used both staffs to block them, and backflip kicked him.

I tried to land, but felt a surge of pain, my foot was cut, those scales cut me again, this wasn't good, and it didn't seem like I was doing damage.

Alright, next s-

Then I got cut off my being hit with a fin across the left side my muzzle. The scales caused multiple cuts along it, I rolled along the ground and brought both staffs to guard me. I wiped the blood off my muzzle. He had grown fins on his arms now, and his feet had started to change to three-toed ones with talons.

"Alright, new plan, you giant dinosaur," I said.

I had more of the lightning form in my paws. If the skin couldn't be punctured or hurt, then I will points of weakness.

I sent both of the staffs forward to attack, he quickly blocked both, but in a flash, I dashed forward, placed my paw on his knee, and sent the shockwave. I heard a resounding crack of bone from the hit, while he staggered, I used a second one to launch him.

This was how I could win against him, I wasn't going to lose here. Not now…

I went for the same strategy, this time sending the staffs above and below one another. He dodged one, and blocked the other with his claw. The claw he guarded with I went up to him, placed my paw on the joint he held up, and sent another shockwave, dislocating it.

He tried to slash with his other arm, but I backed away before he could. He seemed to be pissed now. But I wouldn't let him kill me, not possible.

I then brought the staffs over and went for the same stick, but this time, I was gonna aim for his neck. I dashed forward along side the staffs. He blocked one with his arm, then with the other, he was open now. I dashed forward to place my paw on his neck. Before I made it though, I heard a very loud snap, and then.

With the sound of something being stabbed, and blood dripping. I looked down. I got stabbed by the arm that had been dislocated… He relocated it, just like that?

I felt a bit of blood run from my mouth, but then with a quick motion, he slashed his other claw up across my chest.

"CAR-ACK!" I coughed and screamed at the same time.

And then, suddenly the sandstorm pulled me higher, and slammed me into the roof. I then fell down, still in shock from the pain. Then what used to be Bruce spun around, and his tail hit me, with his scales cutting my back, and I was flung into a wall.

Before I could even touch the ground he charged forward and tackled into me, nearly breaking the wall behind me. Then he used one of his claws to hold me against the wall by my neck. I tried to use a shockwave to break his arm, but it failed.

He put more force on the claw, and I was losing air fast. I started to pass out, I looked up at him and saw him smirking, but his face slowly turned to, I don't know, reflection?

He then swung me back around him to the ground. I was out of strength… there was no way I could…

I looked up and saw my shotgun, I slowly reached over and tried to pick it up. I hear him walking towards me, his footsteps booming. I was able to get the shotgun in my paw, and was able to pump it. However, before I could even turn around, I was kicked back, the shotgun landing close to me.

But then he place one claw on my neck, choking me once more. And this time there was no more reflection, he looked feral, and hungry. His change looked nearly complete, the only thing that remained was the top half of his head, everything else was this new creature.

I started struggling to get a hold of the shotgun.

Like a snake, he pulled his head back, ready to strike.

I got hold of my shotgun, had my nub on the trigger.

And in a split second, his jaw lunged forward, and suing my extreme speed. I lifted the shotgun, and shoved it into his mouth.

His eyes showed fear and shock, but I didn't hesitate…

I pulled the trigger.

In a cloud of red mist, the top half of his head… He was no longer recognizable…

With the sounds of gurgling, blood splattering, and a body falling… It was over…

I had blood pour onto my fur from the body, and slowly pushed it off of me. I was hyperventilating, shock had taken over my body, but then pain made me remember my wound. With quick thinking, I used my energy to seal the wound, it was cold, ice cold, it felt like freezer burn, but the difference was it being on an open wound.

After that I started breathing even heavier, I was in so much pain, but I forced myself to move, even if I didn't want to in the slightest. I picked up my shotgun, and the broken pieces of my sword, placed the in the sheath, and got on my coat. I then heard sirens coming, seems like someone called the cops.

Before I left however, I remembered Bruce's phone. I ran into the back room, and found it to be still in tact. I took the phone and booked it, jumping up to the roof of a building to not be spotted by the cops. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, running across building to building, until I made it to the forest.

I ran, and ran, and ran, and I didn't stop 'til I got back to the cave.

Once I made it inside, I dropped everything on me, and just fell over.

(Officer Veil POV, Present)

"That creature, was Bruce Welner, was it not?" I asked.

-Correct,- Xeta said to me.

"You were put into a position where neither could win, it seems we're going up against something bigger than what we're used to," I said more to myself.

He nodded, he seemed to already be in a bad mood from talking about that, it must be traumatizing, even for this crea…. I don't think it's right to call him that anymore.

"I will leave you be for now, we'll have more questioning in a bit, ok?" I asked.

He once again nodded.

I walked back into the main room, the door once more sealing behind me.

"What's this group, and he said Monty right? I remember a Monty in our files," My associate said.

"Monty Landers, from what we found out from his apartment, he's a hitman, but I was sure he was killed and buried… He said he heard his voice," I said in confusion.

"Do you think we might be getting somewhere?" My associate asked.

"Yeah… I believe we are, we're getting closer to the truth… We'll stop this, whatever it is!" I said whole heartedly.

Xeta… you have the answers we need, don't let all this go to waste…


	28. Chapter 27 For The Record

(Elizabeth POV, Six days ago)

Why wasn't he picking up or texting back? I've been trying to get in touch with Xeta all day and night. He told me him and Bruce were going off to do something, and now I can't get in touch with him at all? Once more he wasn't at school, no one had seen him and I didn't see him in my classes at all. He usually doesn't miss school…. And call it intuition if you want, but I knew something was wrong, it's not like him, too many variables were stacking up.

I also didn't see Bruce around either, it was odd…

I decided I would go to his home after school finished, I was too worried. I gave my parents a call about me staying over at Xeta's and they agreed to it. I walked through the forest path I had gone on once before, looking around slowly trying to figure out where everything was again.

I remembered this clearing was the first time seeing Xeta like he was… How long has it been? A month? It feels longer I think.

Wait no, it's not the time to get sentimental, just hurry up already!

I quickened my pace to get back to his home, taking the path like I remembered… And my heart dropped…

I noticed blood on the path now, and it seems new… My worry grew into fear, and I screamed.

"Xeta! XETA! Xeta please speak, where are you!?" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I quickened my pace to get to his cave, worried sick by this point. As I got closer the blood became increasingly more frequent. Once I got to the entrance I noticed bloody paw prints on the way inside, and when I ran in I saw an unexpected sight.

Xeta was there, his torso covered in bandages, him moving around frequently, almost as if he was trying to gather everything up. He had a bag, and it seemed to have everything he could carry in the bag he was using, like his computer and game system, some food, and other things. The way he moved as if I was watching a squirrel run around in an erratic panic.

"X-Xeta?" I questioned.

He dropped what he was holding at the moment, pulled out his sword, pointed it in my general direction. The look of horror on his face was something I hadn't seen on him before, this was truly something else, something was wrong, and I didn't need to see his expression to know that beforehand.

Another thing to point out is his sword was broken, the blade was now only about half of it's original design.

He quickly realized that I was the one there and not an attacker.

-Elizabeth?- He asked in an almost drunken state.

"Yeah… it's me, Xeta what's-" I couldn't finish for he quickly dropped the sword, and ran up to hug me, the spike on his chest nearly hurting me but I thankfully avoided.

I looked down at his trembling form, I could feel his body shaking as he held onto me, trying to grasp whatever comfort he could get out of me. All I could do was return the hug in this moment.

We stood there for a bit, I could feel his tears stain my clothes, his sob's sounding similar to a dog's. I didn't know what to say or do, something happened and I couldn't dare ask what it was, in fact I was scared to ask.

-I'm so glad y-y-you're here…- He said stuttering.

"Xeta… I tried to get in touch with you all this time… why weren't you answering?" I asked.

-Sorry… I forgot to charge my phone…- he said in my head.

"What happened… what's wrong?" I asked.

-Nothing, listen, we need to leave!- He said, starting to gather his things again.

"Wait, leave? Why do we need to leave?!" I asked starting to get scared.

-Listen it will be alright! We can just leave! We could go wherever we wanted, I have plenty of money in my account, it's possible for me to get jobs and such, it would be just fine!- He kept going.

"Wait, Xeta stop, you aren't making any sense, we can't just leave! And why do we need to leave?!" I asked.

-It will be fine! That doesn't matter, all we have to do is get as far away from here as possible, hell we could even just continue traveling, it could be so much fun! Think about it, come on we could go get some stuff from your house right now and not have anything to worry about!

He grabbed my hand forcibly, trying his best to pull me along with him, he had his bag in his paws, but now I was irritated, mad even, what was he even saying right now, it made no sense.

I jerked my arm back with enough force to pull myself away from him.

"Xeta stop it! What's gotten into you!?" I screamed.

-It'll be fine! Trust me, it will be just fine!- He tried to reach for my arm again, but I didn't let him this time.

Instead of his paw reaching it's marked, I stepped forward, pulled my arm back, and swung it forward, the palm of my hand stinging across his muzzle. My hand stung a bit form the impact, and a loud sound echoed through the cave.

I wasn't done yet, I quickly took my arm against his neck and pushed him towards the wall of the cave, holding him against it. He wasn't really resisting my assault, maybe because he cared, or because he didn't want to hurt me. He looked at me in the eyes, his smile no longer existing. The expression he made was someone of sadness, and pain, something I know quite well… Neither of us had any right for our actions here…

I gently let him go, and he slumped down the wall, his tears dripping from his eyes. He no longer was looking at me, just wallowing in his own pain. Seeing him like this was unbearable… I did the only thing I could do, I sat down beside him.

We didn't have to talk to know what the other was thinking, all we had to do was be there for the other. I placed my hand on his paw, and he gripped my hand the best he could. After that we just sat for a while, doing nothing but try to calm down from the ordeal. I don't really know how long we sat there for, but it was needed if we were gonna be able to have a decent conversation.

As if to break away from our dreams of peace, Xeta spoke words that did more then actions ever could.

-Bruce is dead…- He said.

I looked at him, his muzzle still dropping down. My eyes widened at the statement he just made. Not knowing how to respond I just stayed quiet, and waited for him to continue.

-I killed him…- He continued.

"What…?" I asked, having trouble speaking.

-They found us out… We were looking for more stuff on those people who did this to me… and they got to Bruce's family, he was forced to take an injection, and turned into something like me… He had no control over his body, and tried to kill me. I had to put him out of his misery…- He explained to me.

I had no words to say, it was just like what had happened with me, they're going after the people he cares for… that's why he wanted to…

-We need to leave… they'll just keep coming… they'll… I can't lose you…- He held his head in his paws, -I don't want to lose you… You're all that's left…-

He wasn't wrong… He's lost everything… I'm the only thing he has left to care for, so…

"Ok… We'll leave," I said.

-What…? But you…- He tried to say.

"But nothing, you're all I want as well, even if we cant truly be together, we can stay by each other's side, now and forever, we'll leave, but on one condition," I said.

-What is it?- He asked.

"We finish school, once we graduate, that's when we'll leave, I'll ask for a car for graduation, and that will be that," I said.

He smiled weakly, -You don't have to do all this for me…-

"I want to, no matter what, I want to," I said.

He looked at me, tears streaming down his muzzle, a kind and sad smile filling his face, "Thank you!"

"Xeta… what about Bruce's parents?" I asked.

-They were apparently supposed to be let go… but…- he tried to say but couldn't finish.

"If they were let go, we should go see them…" I said.

-Wait, I don't think they- He tried to tell me but I cut him off.

"Don't you think they deserve to know what happened?" I asked.

-Will… will you come with me?- I asked.

"Well… isn't loving someone supposed to mean you support them?" I asked.

He smiled, and he pulled out a phone, it wasn't his though.

"Who's phone is-" I started to ask.

-Bruce's, he left a message for his family… and a phone number connected to those people…- He explained.

"What…? Then why are you not-" I started to ask but was cut off.

-I'm not getting anyone else killed over a vendetta,- I said.

"Ok… Let's go then…" I said.

-Alright,- he said back.

He carried me to the address, and thankfully he disguised himself. Bruce's home seemed really nice, and we walked up to the door, and knocked on it.

The door was cracked open, and we could see an African American woman, who looked to be in her late 30's.

"Yes?" She asked.

I spoke first, "You wouldn't happen to be the mother of Bruce would you?"

"Who's asking?" She asked.

Xeta let his disguise fade in front of the woman, -Ma'am… Bruce already told me what happened,- he pulled out his phone.

Her face grew from scared to shocked.

-Please… we need to talk about this…- He said.

She closed the door, we heard some unlocking sounds, and open the door.

"Please, come inside…" She said.

We entered the house, and his father and mother were both here. His mother's hair was in knots, and her dress wasn't anything special. The father looked in shambles, absolutely devastated.

"Mom, dad, who're they?" We turned around to see a girl around eight or so.

"Just some people we have to talk to, go play for a while ok?" Bruce's mother said.

"Okay," she walked back to her room.

We all sat in the living room in an awkward silence, not knowing what to say or do.

"You… were with our son last night?" Bruce's father asked.

-I was… so those people kept their promise?- Xeta asked.

"Yeah… they did… you're the creature Bruce was supposed to kill, right?" His father asked.

-Yeah… I am…- Xeta said, his ears drooping down as he did.

"Is our son…?" his mother started but couldn't finish.

Xeta looked down, -I'm sorry…-

His mother started to sob quietly, now knowing his son was gone.

"How'd it happen?" Bruce's father asked, having trouble speaking.

-They made him, take this injection, turning him into a creature like me, but he had no control of his actions, he wasn't even your son anymore before I did what I had to, I'm so sorry this happened, I wish I could have stopped it…- Xeta handed his father the phone, a recording on it.

They played the recording, and Bruce's voice played, "Hey guys… it's me. I wanted to record a message for you, just to know, that this decision was mine. I already know the outcome, I'm not going to live through this, and it's not like it was a very easy decision for me to make. Xeta, if you're hearing this, you stay alive, no matter what, and I only have one thing to ask, is to give this recording to my parents. Now, this part is for you guys… You probably think I'm an idiot or something, but in all honesty, I knew what I was getting myself into."

"I was the one who urged him to fight, because I felt it was right, but after seeing the outcomes, the attack on the school, the deaths, I started to realize I've made a bad decision, but even still, it was mine, and mine alone. I am, once again, making a choice, and this time, it's to save you all, they've given me this shot, and that is a part of the contract I made to keep you guys alive, I wont be me anymore, so no matter who wins in the fight you'll lose your son."

"The choice, of either keeping my live, or saving yours, and Lila's, there was no greater choice I could make, it almost felt relieving in a way, it was like I decided this is how it would end, it was like a freedom…"

"Also, one more thing, on this phone is a file, it's a single number, and the information I was able to find out about this number was just enough, to know who caused all this. Give my phone to the police after hearing this, they'll be able to handle the rest from there."

"I'm really sorry, I know, that this is going to hurt all of you, but please, just try to understand, and don't blame Xeta, please, he's already lost everything, it was my choice to help, it was my choice to get him started, and it will be my choice on how my life ends… Mom, dad, Lila, I love you all, oh and Xeta, make sure you keep that girl happy, later guys, we'll meet again, at some other time."

The recording ended, there was nothing more to say or do.

-I'm sorry,- Xeta said again.

"Stop… please… We'll listen to what our son's last words were, so please… Just let us be," His mother said.

"Thank you for your time," I said.

-Thanks…- Xeta said.

"Yeah… thanks," His father said.

We both walked out of the house, being sure to lock the door on our way out, and we decided to just head back to the cave. Xeta went ahead and prepared us both a meal, it was hard to eat after that night, but we managed somehow. We decided to just relax, and tried not to worry about everything. It was hard not to, but we had to, so we could survive. All we had to do, was make it to graduation… that's all we had to do.

(Officer Veil POV, Present)

I entered the evidence room to go find the phone Xeta had mentioned. Looking through drawers I finally found the right piece of evidence, strapped on some gloves, and opened the file. All I found was a phone number… Wait, maybe…

I got onto a computer and looked up the number, but it didn't associate with a business or corporation. So that only meant one thing, cell phone. I had my teams get to work on tracking the phone, while also compiling it with our suspects who worked for these so called, "Reapers."

I've never been the type of person to lose my cool, but after hearing the stories and pain these people have cause, I think I'm about at my boiling point… I even want them dead, and I want it to be slow. I know the feeling of someone's life being ruined, and they've ruined countless… They will pay, even if I have to use my bare hands. Xeta may not have been able to get his revenge, but I'll gladly do it for him.


	29. Chapter 28 Introductions and Visitors

(Officer Veil POV)

I was still in the evidence locker. I kept looking through the evidence that I had been given by Xeta. There was enough here to get a number, and maybe even a location for these so called reapers. After everything that's happened, it's obvious that something terrible had been done. Experimentation, murder, unusual torture, they have a lot going against them. The problem is however is how we're supposed to pin it on them.

Sure I have a number, and maybe even a location, the best I could do is warrant a search, and that takes time and money to perform. Even still, we have enough riding here to get a lot of filth put away for good. That being said, I have a terrible feeling we're going to lose our-

Suddenly the door to the evidence room burst open, another officer meeting me here.

"Officer Veil sir!" The officer in question was my friend Donny, officer Don was our nickname for him, short black hair with blue eyes looking at me in a simple police uniform.

"Yes Don what is it?" I asked.

"They're here sir! And I doubt they aren't going to leave empty handed!" He said concerned.

OH SON OF A… Damnit I knew that wouldn't take long, seems our good old friends the government finally arrived.

"What are we gonna do?" Don asked me.

"I'm gonna speak with them, and while I'm at it get guards on all the cells for the creatures, you will NOT let them near them, they probably want to make this just go away nice and clean, and I won't let them!" I threatened.

"You got it sir!" Don said running out.

I followed suit and headed towards to the entrance. The thing about my station and authority was that I was well known here. I was friends with about everyone here, not that I want to scare anyone or anything like that, we have respect for one another, if they don't think what I'm doing is right they will stop me from doing it.

I headed to the gate, and what I was greeted with was a man and woman in suits, armed with a side arm and taser. My fellow officer closed the door behind them.

"Hello there, my name is Ryan, this is my partner Riva," the man introduced to me.

"Hello, may I ask what business you have here?" I asked in a sarcastic tone, acting as if I didn't already know.

"Ma'am we are here to take the creatures into custody, we thank you for your service for holding them but they can no be handed over to us." The woman Riva spoke.

"That's very kind and dandy of you to take them off our hands, but we have everything under control here, we've been gathering evidence behind the culprits of these events, so if you would please allow us to con-" I tried to speak my mind but Ryan cut me off.

"Find the culprits? You have them, these creatures need to be neutralized as soon as possible." Riva spoke.

"May I indeed correct your statement?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" The woman asked.

"From the evidence I have gathered the creatures we have in custody, have been determined to be former humans, and they will be treated as such." I said simply.

"Wait! What did you just say!?" Ryan seemed to be rather intimidated by my remark.

"It seems someone didn't care to do research, from our questionings of the one who cooperated, Xeta, himself, and the others, were all originally humans." I spoke.

"How is that… You're lying!" Riva had also started to get flustered.

"And you two haven't done your job, you came here to get rid of the problem not handle it, you were going to kill humans who have all been wronged and tortured!" I said angrily.

The two looked at one another.

"Our apologies, please, explain the situation to us, and we'll call in." Ryan said.

I told the officers to watch them as I went to get copies of the evidence. I came back and gave them a folder of the info. They took their time looking through it, and their shock grew more as they continued reading.

"A testimony of seeing one change, and another about those other animals being killed at the school." Riva said.

"My guess is that the two original ones were humans forced into a position they couldn't have backed down from," I said inquisitively.

"This is absurd, whoever heard of a human turning into something else?!" Ryan questioned.

"Trust me, I was in the same boat of thinking before I found this out, and it is peculiar on one part, we had originally had a body in custody, of the first case, Xeta I should say. Later on however someone snuck in and stole the body of the killer… We don't know how they got it, but we had already settle the case, it was something we didn't know how to handle," I explained.

"They stole the body of someone? What are you gonna do with a body?" Riva asked.

"No idea, but I have a theory it had something to do with the grave robbers soon after the first attack on the school… It's all very confusing to me, I'm not exactly sure what it means however," I explained to them.

"I'm going to go ahead and call this on, our original orders were to take in the creatures, after this however I think we're gonna need more people on this," Ryan said, and got on his phone.

I was worried about this, if more got involved it could go two ways, one we could have more control over the situation, or worse we're forced to give up this entire case.

"Ok I'm done on the phone… Lucky enough you are completely in the go on this investigation, there is only one stipulation." Ryan said.

"And what would that be?" I asked.

"They want photos of each of the creatures you have here, and the ones you have of those who died." Ryan said.

It was a peculiar task, but one that could be done.

I started by showing them the bodies of those we had. I started by bringing out one of the ice creatures. It was the male one, it's windpipe was crashed, but his body was still in tact.

"Ok, this one is from the first school attack correct?" Riva questioned.

"Indeed." I replied.

"And the other of the pair?" she asked.

"Uh… About that, that one is indistinguishable," I explained.

"How so?" Ryan questioned.

"It no longer has a head," I said.

They took that as an answer and we continued.

The next creature was one neither were prepared to see. It's wounds clearly visible, but it's body still intact. It was a creature clad in black, with white hair or fur flowing from the top of it's head. It's arms much larger than its legs, which looked as though they belonged on a different creature.

"What… is this thing?" Ryan questioned.

"We aren't sure, we weren't able to get much a visual on it before it was killed, but from what we could tell it was sure dangerous." I answered.

"These creatures don't look real, especially this one," Riva said quietly.

"Trust us, everyone here feels the same here," I said.

As we finished in the morgue I took them to see the first of the live creatures. I took them to the first area where we kept a live creature. We walked by a room made with strong walling, and bullet proof glass, and as we walked up to a something rammed head first and slammed the glass, causing the two next to me to jump back, I however had already been scared by this thing more than once, so I was quite used to it.

The creature in question was this dragon looking thing. It stood on two legs with faded purple skin. Had a tail of a shark, a fin on its back, and the head of a hammer head. This creature would rather be known as Bruce Welner.

"What…. Is that!?" Riva said in short breaths.

"This… Is Bruce Welner, one of the creatures from the second attack," I explained.

"Bruce Welner? It has a name?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, I only know this from my questioning, the description of the creature Xeta described was the same as this one, it makes sense this is him," I explained.

Bruce stared at us, waiting to try and get to us, but he wasn't able to thanks to the glass. He started pacing, his eyes not leaving us as he did.

"Why does it have a name… wait from your reports on Xeta he said Bruce had died, why is he still standing?" Ryan asked.

"That is something I am unsure of as well, from what Xeta told me Bruce was changing throughout his fight, so I'm not exactly sure what this means… I will have to question Xeta about that to see if he knows anything on this, also we should go so that he becomes uninterested," I explained.

They took their photo and we started walking, leaving Bruce in the cage, his movement started to calm after we had left.

"How do you keep him fed?" Ryan asked.

"We wait for him to fall asleep at night, then we toss food in there," I explained.

"Wait so, you said you questioned one of the creatures, but he shows to act like a wild animal, why is that?" Riva asked.

"That is another thing I am unsure of, all the creatures act different, Bruce as you saw is no longer able to come up with speech or show emotion, it's like he's acting off of instinct, and it's uncertain we'll ever be able to question him at this rate," I admitted.

They didn't know what to say after that, so we just continued on, we headed our way over to the next cell, which housed, something that caught the two by surprise.

"Yeah, this is the one we were the most surprised about as well," I said.

The creature in a normal cell was what appeared to be, well somewhat human. It had a feminine physique, it looked like it was wearing a white dress, but it looked to be connected to her body. A red scale was sticking out from her back and chest, and it had almost a green helmet in the shape of hair around it's head. It's eyes were open, the pure red looking down on the ground as she just sat there.

"Woah…" Riva said.

"This is… She's not even in the same league as that other one," Ryan said.

"Each of them look completely different from the other, it caught off guard with her though, cause we originally thought she was human," I explained, "But once we got a closer look we realized she was… what she is," I explained.

"These creatures… they are…" Riva was speechless.

"Yeah, there are no words to describe them," I stated.

"She's so calm, and quiet…" Ryan said.

"Yeah, she's been like that since she got here, she only really interacts when she eats or wakes up," I explained.

We decided that was enough talking, and Ryan took the picture of her. The flash shone into the cell and creature jumped a bit from it. We started walking but then Ryan stopped, and seemed to be struggling?

"HEY! Wha-what the?!" He seemed to be fighting with his camera, it was almost like it was pulling at him more than he was pulling at it.

"Ryan what's going on?!" Riva questioned.

Suddenly the camera was snatched from his hands, and it was… floating? It floated, and starting moving itself into the cage, Ryan looked inside and we came to see what was happening as well.

The creature was still sitting there, but it's arm was outstretched, and was now looking at the camera moving towards her. A few second later the camera was in her small hands, if they could be called hands. The two, and more so myself were stunned by this interaction.

She held the camera inquisitively, very intrigued by the item. Her face, no longer showing no emotion, but she now seemed interested, she looked like a person visiting a city or locale they are seeing for the first time. She just, stared at, and inspected the camera. It was a very appealing scenario, we needed the camera, but she wasn't harming it, she was just inspecting it, curious on what it was.

Ryan was the first to speak, "Hey I… I need that back!" He said quickly.

The creature looked toward us, in a very confused manner. She looked at us, looked back to the camera, then back to us. She then slowly got up, her slender legs easily picking herself up off the ground. She then took her time, slowly walking towards the edge of the cage, and the slowly putting her hands through to present the camera.

Ryan took it, "T… Thank you."

The creature seemed confused on that expression, her eyes moving back and forth. It surprisingly, seemed to understand the gesture, and quietly nodded, and it slowly walked over to it's bed, and sat down. We quietly then walked and took our leave.

I exhaled, "What the… I've never seen her do that."

"That isn't normal?!" Ryan asked.

"No, I didn't know she could do that, and I have never seen her want to interact with anyone outside of eating, what was that?! She made the camera float right?!" I questioned.

"Yeah, I saw her do it too!" Riva said.

I thought Bruce was our only issue, but now we are also holding a creature who can control things, supposedly with her mind. I didn't know what to think anymore, it was so unreal to actually see it's real.

"Ok… let's go ahead and move on to the next one, I apologize about that, I had no idea she could do that!" I explained.

"Dont worry about it, we weren't expecting it either," they explained.

We moved onto to the next cell. Inside on the bed, was a canine like creature. It had pure white fur, covering most of its body, and it was noticeably thicker on the upper part of its body. It had long, dark grey claws, and a tail seemingly made of the same material. It's face was covered in a similarly colored grey fur, and a small spot on it's head sported it as well. To finish off the look, on the right side of it's head, formed a horn that resembled a long scythe or sickle.

"This one we really have no information on, and secondly it hasn't woken up since we found it," I explained.

"It's asleep?" Riva asked.

I replied, "Yes, it's asleep, again we have no info outside of what it looks like, we're not even sure where it came from."

"That's odd, wait has not eaten at all?" Ryan said.

"It seems fine, it's only been about a few days, I do however expect them to be hungry once they do wake up," I explained.

"Any info on what it can do?" Riva asked.

"No, it's been asleep since we found it, no other info outside of that," I replied.

"It seems to fit better with what I expected, but again it's not too abnormal," Ryan said.

"Yes, it looks very similar to a normal canine, with a few additions, thankfully it's too big to fit through the bars, so it won't escape if it does wake up," I explained.

We decided to leave it at that, and move onto the last creature, Xeta. We walked into the interrogation room, and they saw it sitting there in a chair, his eyes were closed, but his head turned in our direction through the one sided glass.

"Woah," Both of them said.

"He can see us," I explained.

They were both scared by my tidbit.

"He has the ability to see your presence from what he's explained, it's not like he has X-ray vision, he can just, well, see your soul," I said.

"That's… creepy," Ryan said.

"You get used to it, anyways, let's go in," I said.

"What?!" They both asked.

"It's fine, I promise," I said.

We entered and I greeted Xeta to the two.

-Hello… Rika, Ryan,- I heard his voice in my head, and I'm guessing they did too cause they jumped.

"What was that?!" Ryan said.

-I'm sorry... I should have mentioned, I'm technically able to speak, well more or less you're hearing my thoughts,- Xeta said again.

Both of them turned their heads towards Xeta, "That was you?"

-Yes, I'm Xeta,- He said. His demeanor was the same, he seemed very emotionless still, but it seemed to have surprised him to see new faces.

"Xeta… It's nice to meet you," Rika said while the shock in her voice was still very present.

He simply nodded.

"Xeta?" I started, "Would it be alright if they took photos of you? It will only take a second."

-Oh… Yeah I don't mind…- He agreed.

They quickly took their photos.

"Thanks for the photos Xeta," Ryan said.

He just nodded at them, and then we started to move out of the room. After stepping out of the waiting room entirely, they started speaking.

"One that's feral, one that shows signs of intelligence, and one that truly has intelligence… This is crazy." Ryan said.

"It's something that I don't think any of us are able to really handle, and us knowing that it's confirmed that two if not all of them are human, it just makes this whole situation even worse than it already was." I explained.

"No kidding, wait does he know of the others?" Rika said.

"No, just Bruce, I don't think he realizes the other two are here," I said and we then were quiet.

We stood in silence for a good moment, not knowing what else to do. So I started up the conversation with a question.

"Say, when you guys start analyzing that evidence, can you do me a favor?" I asked.

"What's that?" Rika asked.

"Make double sure you research on a group called the reapers, Xeta in there gave us a lead that they could possibly be responsible for all of this," I explained.

"Reapers? Where is that said?" Ryan asked.

"It's in a file regarding a cell phone, I have my guys already looking into said group, but if we have more people looking into it we may be able to find the real culprits behind this," I stated.

"Well alright then, we'll keep in touch, make sure to pick up if you see this number," They handed me a phone number on a card.

"Got it, I'll be sure to be on watch, let me know if anything changes, please?" I asked.

"We will, don't worry," Rika explained.

I then helped lead them out, and Don came to meet up with me after they had taken their leave.

"So we have the clear?" he asked.

"For now at least, thankfully we've got more time, and we have some backup for now," I explained.

"Really, that's great!" Don said.

"Yeah, but now, I think I need to figure out the last of what happened with Xeta, get his full story, we need as much info as we can get," I explained.

"Alright, we'll keep watch, and make sure no one gets in, and I'll let the others know to start checking evidence again!" Don exclaimed.

"Got it, I'll go back to questioning Xeta, hopefully this will be the last time I have to," I said. I then took my time to head back to the interrogation room, now that we have more hands on deck, we just might be able to get everything we need to take these so called Reapers down.


	30. Chapter 29 Oncoming Threat

(Officer Veil POV)

I think I'm finally to the point where I have to ask him now. I've been holding off on this for his sake, but I can't hide from having the truth anymore. I walked back to the interrogation office. I had brought him some food to try and get him to cheer up. He ate it which was a good start.

-So what are you needing today officer?- He asked me.

I gave a sigh, "I've been holding back on this, but it should be obvious."

He looked down, seemingly upset. I pity him, he'd already been through enough, and the events at the school made things no better.

"Take your time." I said genuinely as possible.

-Ok, before that though, I think I need to bring up the events before the attack,- He explained.

"Whatever you feel is necessary." I replied.

(Elizabeth POV, 2 days earlier)

I was heading on to school the day after I visited Bruce's family. Their words, and the plan me and Xeta had still rang through my head like a drum. I felt like life was spiraling out of control at this point. I could be in danger, Xeta could be in danger, those involved with us could be in danger. I wanted to stay strong, I wanted to stay calm, but I couldn't. I just couldn't do it.

Classes hadn't started yet, and Xeta hadn't shown up yet either, I decided I would just head outside the school to get some fresh air. Hanging out near the courtyard in a shady spot, I sat my backpack down and took a seat on the concrete. I took out my phone and decided to just listen to some music, some piano.

I sat there for a while just thinking about things. Maybe I was overreacting to this, it couldn't get that bad. Just had to make it to the end of the year. Just had to make it to…

My eyes opened in shock, my mind went blank, and all of my focus went to what I had just seen. It shouldn't have been anything special, just someone walking to school, ready to start their day. This person was ignoring me of course, they probably had other things to do then worry about me…

Only issue was I knew this person… I could never forget what she looked like. That was Sunny. Walking towards the courtyard was Sunny, acting as if nothing was happening, black hair covering her eyes, not even paying me any mind. Many thoughts raced through my mind, what was happening. My fear and curiosity started to rise exponentially by the second. What was going on, was I hallucinating? She kept walking, but she didn't turn in my direction, it's almost like to her I don't exist. My mind just kept racing, over and over, what was I supposed to say, what was I supposed to do right now?

Was it a trick? A trap? I don't think it matter cause curiosity overcame fear. She walked past the wall I was sitting next to, and that's when I bolted.

I got around the corner, "SUNNY!?" I screamed.

But she wasn't there. The alleyway was completely empty. My breathing started to become more sporadic, not able to really understand what had happened or what was going on, my mind started to race, and fast.

Then a grab on the shoulder knocked me out of my trance. I quickly spun my head around to see Xeta looking at me worriedly.

"Oh… Xeta, hey," I said, doing my best to calm my breathing.

-What happened? What's got you so scared?- He asked in a worried tone.

"I… I thought I saw Sunny…" I said still reeling.

-You thought you saw her...? I though she… Sorry, but, wait I'm not understanding, what do you mean you saw her?!- He asked confused and scared.

"I just… I saw her walking, she walked past the wall here, and when I turned the corner she was gone…. I don't know, maybe things I starting to get to me, you know?" I explained.

-Yeah… I think I get what you mean… We'll get through this, I promised didn't I?- Xeta explained. I don't know why, but that wasn't him feeling confident in his words, he seemed scared, just as he was earlier.

I turned to him, "Yeah, yeah you did, and I'm not going anywhere, promise." I don't know why either, but I was also scared. I didn't like this, I didn't any of this.

We decided to just put those thoughts to the side and continue to our classes. We split up as usual, and headed to our own classes. Finals were coming up, and it was something to be truly scared of in every way. Thankfully today the classes were giving out study sessions to help students, and everyone was taking their chance to get ahold of one.

When I got to lunch, I sat at my normal table with Xeta. He was already there, and he had a stack of notes next to him, looking through them as he ate.

"Hey," I said sitting my stuff down next to him.

He nodded at me, knowing full well not to talk while there were other people around. He got out some paper and prepared to talk.

His first note said, "Got everything you need for finals?" He asked.

I spoke, "Mhm, I got everything for it, let's hope we can pass them."

He wrote his next message, "Either way, hunting isn't exactly that hard for me to get away with, I can pay for food somehow." He was snickering by the time I finished reading.

"Har dee har!" I laughed mockingly.

We both laughed for another minute, and after a little bit of eating, one of Xeta's friends came by, I think his name was Terry?

"Yo Xeta, do you have the notes for math? I missed some I think," he said a bit worried.

Xeta nodded, handed him the notes and he sat down thanking Xeta. After a few minutes Terry finished copying the notes, and thanked Xeta, but before he left…

"Hey Xeta… I heard about Bruce…" Terry said.

Xeta looked down and just nodded.

"I'm sorry man… look you ever need anything me and my friends got your back, could get you a pizza and hang out or something, you know? Just, whatever we can to help out." He explained.

Xeta looked up with a sad smile and nodded, then after Terry headed back outside to hand out with his friends.

Xeta and I started to talk about what our plans were after school. We needed to come up with an excuse for my parents, he said he might be able to get us a house with the money he obtained from his parents. That might work, apparently we can pay off budget from Xeta taking odd jobs and hunting for food, so we can make shortcuts with our money if that's the case. We talked about how we wanted to settle on a beach. I think i liked that idea, we both had stories from going to the beach, but we never got to go together.

I liked it, I think the beach would be a perfect place to live… well minus storms, but I'm pretty sure Xeta could outrun it. Note to self, make sure to get insurance on our house.

I had never really thought of what I wanted to do after I got out of school, and I don't think singing is gonna pay well starting out. Wonder what kind of jobs I could get. Well, if we worked together, surely we could afford something.

"Oh Xeta! Maybe we could try to open some kind of food stand on the beach, surely snow cones would sell amazingly during the summer!" I proposed.

He smiled and nodded at the idea, he seemed on board.

"Now to find out how to get my parents on board…" I said.

Both of us were at a loss on that one, we'd see what we could do about it though, it shouldn't take us too long to get it taken care of.

The end lunch bell rang and we packed up our stuff. He said see ya and headed to his next class. I was still packing but I told him to head on without me. He walked off while I finished up with my things. I looked up outside for a minute… and once again my heart started beating faster and faster.

There she was again, Sunny, she was walking outside, passing by the door, and heading to the other side of the courtyard. My mind started racing again, something was wrong here, but what was I supposed to do.

Just then two other students ran through the door.

"Damn her! How the hell did she..!?" the on guy seemingly in pain said.

"Shut up we need to get that burn checked out!" The other one said.

That was it, I don't know what it was, stupidity, curiosity, it didn't matter, my mind just said go and my body followed through. I started running towards the door as fast as I could, running outside. Looking to my left I saw Sunny leaving the area again. Not this time, I followed her, not letting her get out of my sight.

I quickly ran up, grabbed her arm, and made sure she couldn't walk away.

"Sunny?!" I asked breathing heavily. I waited for a response, but so far I was happy, this was real, it was physical, she was there.

She slowly turned around, her eyes not visible due to her hair. But even so, i could tell this was her, it was.

"Sunny? You're… still alive? How? I don't understand, how are you...Did those creatures do this to you, did they fake your death somehow?" What was I saying, am I stupid? I saw her die, yet no matter how much I knew I was being stupid, I was running on pure irrational thought. I knew this wasn't right, yet my need to know if my friend was ok took over everything.

She then started to try speaking, "G… ga...ah…" She seemed out of breath.

"It's ok, just take your time, listen come with me ok, we can go talk with Xeta about this, and figure out what's going on, alright?" I explained to her. Damn it, what was I doing, this is all irrational, don't I not see how serious the situation is?! Yet I can't help it, damnit, what is wrong with me.

Suddenly she took hold of her head, seemingly in pain, yanking her hand away to hold her head in pain, she started shaking rapidly.

"Sunny please, we have to get you help!" I screamed at her.

Suddenly her arms fell limp. At that moment everything in my body went cold. Suddenly all the irrational thoughts I had been having suddenly turned into irrational fear. I suddenly realized now the danger I was in. I saw her eyes… they weren't the same, it was almost like the day I saw Xeta's real form. Her eyes were a cold red, staring into my soul. I knew I needed to get away, yet my body wouldn't let me. Then as if on cue, her arm aimed at me. And in a moment, it felt as if my arm caught on fire.

The pain was hot, and cold at the same time, my body fluctuating between the two as chills and heat ran from my arm to the rest of my body. I mustered up the strength to look down at my arm. There stuck in it, like a blade, was some kind of pink and white energy. Blood was rushing from it and dripping down my shirt.

I slowly looked back up at her, her face looking almost dead, no emotion, just a soulless creature. I realized then I had made a huge mistake. And in turn, I screamed.

"Ah..AH...ARHGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed and the energy went away and I pulled myself back from what I thought was Sunny.

I looked back at the thing, and it still just stood there, wearing Sunny's form.

"Well well, this is quite the show," I looked past her to see a man walking up to us. He had blue eyes, and wore black pants and a white shirt.

"Sir! RUN NOW!" I screamed at him. But his reply was simply to walk up to Sunny, and hold her chin as if he owned her. What the hell?

"Oh now I see no reason in doing that at all, why should I? Nothing wrong here, besides, this girl is quite useful to me," he pushed her head away.

"Who… who are you?" I asked, not knowing what to do.

"Oh my name is Monty my dear, it's a pleasure to meet you, it seems you know this girl, a friend of yours?" He asked. Where did I hear his name before?!

"What… that's not her," I said trying to pick myself up.

"Oh you said Sunny right? Sunny Monroe?" he asked.

My eyes widened, the man knowing Sunny's full name as well.

"Well honey, to tell you the truth, this is her," he walked over to her, and started holding her, waving his hands over her, the form changing right before my very eyes.

White skin, green arms, the white forming a dress like shape, her hair, or helmet shown in green, her face keeping the same pale white, and her eyes the same red I saw a moment ago.I also noticed some kind of brace wrapped around her neck.

"Su… Sunny?" I asked.

"Oh it won't do you any good," He aimed her head at me, "She doesn't remember you, not anymore at least, right now she's a good obedient creature thanks to the neck brace on her, but, to be fair, even without it she still wouldn't remember you," he said pointing to said brace.

"What did you do… she died… what… how?" I asked.

"Well little lady, I died as well, and yet," his form then changed too, a creature of pure black, with red around its neck, bright blue eyes staring me down, and white hair flowing from the top of his head.

"I'm still standing too!" He started laughing.

Suddenly one of the officers from the area came around the corner, "Hey what the hell is going on- WHAT THE F-" before he could finish his sentence however, a loud crashing noise happened right where he was at. I looked at the damage when it died down, and some kind of…. Hammerhead dragon!? Some kind of dragon crushed the man under it's foot, a puddle of blood forming under it. It was also wearing one of those neck braces as well.

My mind was in so many places at this point, these creatures, they were like Xeta, weren't they?! And Sunny, is that really her?! What the hell, is going on?

Suddenly before I knew it I was kicked back by this Monty figure with his thin legs. For being small they pack a hell of a punch. I got myself up slowly, trying to hold my wound, most of the students still in the cafeteria were already looking in my direction.

"Wait… Elizabeth?!" I heard Terry's voice, and since I recognized it I ran over as fast as I could.

Those three stepped out of the alley, the dragon stomping his way over, and the other two floating their way over.

I heard lots of people, either in fear, or taking videos, or asking what the hell were these things.

-Listen up everyone!- I just realized, that man's voice, I was so used to hearing Xeta's it hadn't dawned on me, he had been speaking in my mind.

The creature known as Monty snapped his fingers, and before we knew it there were about 5 or so armed people in the area. Everyone started holding up their hands, and I tried to best I could with my wound.

-Now then, that I have your attention, we're all here for one thing, if you would be as kind as to drop all phones to be collected, no one is calling the police, and if you do, we'll kill you all, do we make sense?- Monty said.

Everyone including me and Terry put our phones on the ground to be collected. Sunny, walked around collecting them, making them float in the air and moving them over to Monty. Everyone around me was freaked out, but I was used to it, a little at the very least.

Suddenly I heard a ripping sound next to me, Terry had ripped a part of his shirt.

"Here, I don't know what happened but patch up, or try to at least." He explained.

I did what I could, ripping part of mine as well trying to wrap the wound as best I can.

-Ok everyone, now to explain what we're here for, just so you know we have others inside the school as well, taking hostage of all the students and teachers, but if we can be diplomatic and peaceful, no one has to die.- He explained again. He didn't have to continue, I already know what they are after.

-Now then… Whoever knows this student, tell us… Where, is, Xeta Shidel?-


	31. Chapter 30 Reality

(Xeta POV)

I was in class when I started to hear weird noises, out in the direction of the cafeteria. What on earth, I thought I heard slamming, but like, it was vibrant, almost like an explosion but not. I hadn't realized it but I was standing up out of my seat.

"Xeta Shidel, what seems to have you all riled up?" The teacher questioned.

I didn't, nor could I answer him. But all of the sudden I then started hearing footsteps, and doors to the other rooms getting knocked open.

"NO ONE MOVE," It wasn't just me that heard it that time, my teacher and students started freaking out a bit as well.

"What on earth?! STUDENTS GET UNDER YOUR DESKS NOW!" the teacher shouted and went to turn off the lights and lock the doors, but was not able to due to the door slamming open and him getting knocked to the floor.

"Don't even think about it old man," a man with a semi auto rifle walked into the room, and held the gun up to our teacher, who had frozen in fear.

The students around didn't dare move, and neither did I, something bad was happening, and I wanted to stay quiet to make sure I got the whole picture.

"Now then, no one pull out your phones or I start shooting, if you want to keep the peace, and no one to get hurt, we just need one thing, tell us all you know on where a student by the name of Xeta Shidel might be," the armed man said.

There it was, all I needed to hear. First off, it's obvious their goal is me, whether to capture or kill doesn't matter. Second, he said we, meaning there are multiples. I decided to look around and sense the presence of them. Thankfully this school wasn't that large, but a problem arose when I realized there was an armed guard at every class room. One for each thankfully, it seemed that some were waiting outside the classrooms, seemingly done with their questioning I assumed.

This wasn't good, I didn't have the ability to fight off all of them. And the worst part was when I looked at the cafeteria, it was much worse, 5 guards and…. No… NO!

Out in the cafeteria courtyard was three figures that exerted energy. Damn it, this certainly wasn't good. Three creatures like me, I'd definitely have to be careful with my options here.

I remember that night from when I saved Elizabeth, it was an unconscious act… but, maybe it would be enough to handle 3 of them. But then what about the rest of the guards… They're after me right? If so, then maybe me running straight to the courtyard would lead them there. Wait no, better plan. I take out this guy, and then have someone here get the authorities on the line, I'll make it fast and silent, then while I distract them, the one with the phone will get the police. But then how would I explain that, that would mean giving myself away.

I looked at the class around me, weighing my options, if I just stand around and keep a secret, everyone here is in danger. But, if I use myself as bait, then, that gives everyone a chance to get away, and the police to get everyone to safety, including Elizabeth.

As my mind raced faster than a second, the man finally took notice of me, he looked at me in shock, he probably saw my eyes. I moved faster than he could react, there was no more time to think of a different plan, this was my only shot.

In a matter of a second, I was already on him, snatching the gun from his hands with a single motion. I then swiftly kicked him, a bruise quickly forming on his face from the impact. He was knocked out cold, but in the next second I grabbed him and made sure he didn't make a sound on landing.

The class, understandably, was stunned by the action, the teacher looking right at me from where he sat on the ground.

I then used telepathy to talk with everyone in the classroom, -Everyone, keep quiet, got that, if you don't you will die,- I explained.

It seemed everyone understood the gravity of their situation and stayed quiet. I used my sight to look through the walls, and it seemed I stayed quiet enough from all the other commotion happening around us.

-Ok, no one heard that, good, now listen up, nod if you are listening, and remember, no matter what keep quiet,- I explained.

The class nodded, including the teacher, who was giving me a pretty stern look.

I let me disguise fade, knowing full well that I would need to so that I can act as bait. I saw the class slowly begin to freak out, but it seemed that it wasn't enough to keep them from keeping quiet like I had said.

-They're after me, I'm going to act as bait, while I do, I need one of you to call the police, who here has a working phone?- I asked.

Most of the class was still too freaked out to answer, or even make a move. One student however, a girl, pulled something out of her purse, showing a phone to me while not making a sound.

-Ok, good, now again, as soon as I leave, you start calling, and make sure they know this isn't a joke, and send as many as needed,- I explained.

The girl nodded, but the teacher started whispering.

"What are you?" he said.

-That doesn't matter, right now, you need to get the police here,- I explained.

"I won't let you leave, you monster," He started to whisper but I got in his face.

-Apparently, you don't understand what's happening right now. I'm their target, they are only after me, and if you think keeping me here will help anyone, then you'll probably be the first one they kill once they find out I'm here,- I explained fully.

"What… but you," He was stuttering.

-I'm not your enemy, I'm still Xeta, I'm still conscious, I'm going to act as bait, and you guys get the police so you can be saved, I don't care if they come after me, but I'm not gonna be responsible for this many deaths, got it? Did I stutter?- I asked.

The teacher seemed angry, not being able to understand the situation, "Fine," he whispered.

I got up from him, everyone in the class still looking frightened, disgusted, or scared of me.

-Lock the door when I leave, and don't leave til the police get here, understand?- I asked the class.

Most, including the teacher nodded, and so I left, and slowly pulled the door shut, making sure to keep it silent.

I still had this rifle on me, my broken sword, and the powers I have at my disposal. I looked down the hallway, seeing other armed men at the classrooms. If I wanted this to be a good distraction, I needed to make some noise.

I ran up to the next class room, and grabbed hold of the armed man.

"Woah WHAT-" He had no time to finish, for I had thrown him over my shoulder into the lockers behind me, a residual crash filling the halls with sound, which brought attention from all the other men in the classrooms.

I walked to the center of the hall with all of them looking at me. I picked up the downed man's gun while kicking him.

-Yo!- I yelled in telepathy, -Looking for me?!-

If I was gonna distract them, I need to make a scene, what better way than this. They all pointed and aimed, taking shots at me. I used my speed to avoid their fire, drop kicking one of the armed men, swinging one of the guns and knocking another of them down to the ground. The third guy I fired a shot into his leg, giving me enough time to run up, tackling him into the wall.

I then noticed my teacher, Ms Leonhart inside her class, looking right at me.

She seemed confused at the situation, but knowing her, I did what I thought would assure her the most.

I softly smiled, -Ms. Leonhart, please keep your doors locked, I'll take everything from here,- I said.

She seemed confused, but then realized the coat I was wearing.

"Xeta?!" She asked.

-Sorry ma'am, i don't have time to explain, lock your doors, and don't worry, the police are on the way,- I said quickly.

She knew my voice, and she seemed shocked from hearing it after so long, so it wasn't that hard for her to listen, she nodded, "Ok, and Xeta, stay safe."

I nodded, and walked to the next hallway. I heard commotion from outside, and next to me in the other hallways, they probably heard the gunfire. Next to me appeared a few armed men and women. They all pointed their guns at me.

One, two, four, seven, nine, twelve, twelve of them. That's a lot. I had to do it now, last time it happened, I was angry, very angry, I have to do it again. Just focus, focus…. I thought of everything up to this point, my anger, my hate, my pain from all of this. I had to put everything on the line this time, even if it costed me my life.

Just then I felt a sharp pain come from my left and my right, I wasn't paying attention and took three bullets thanks to it. I recoiled to the ground in pain, and anger. Jokes on them, they hit my boiling point. The last thing I remembered was Elizabeth in that state after those things attacked her. I remember it way too vividly, and that was it.

I stood back up, and felt my body for the second time physically change. I had not realized how to activate this power before, but, I think I get it. But as soon as it started, I felt it start using more energy than before, this wouldn't be something I could use for all too long. Another thing, I was much calmer this time, but the anger didn't go away, in fact, I think it got worse, it was a quiet, but burning anger.

The armed men and women around me looked in fear at the beast in front of them. My tail physically changed to match the tan fur on me chest and waist. The feelers on the back of my head grew much larger. I was also a bit taller too. I looked at my paws which were now red, the claws also forming to work for a different way of fighting. I noticed the top of my bottom paws also grew claws as well. I had much more use and versatility.

-Now then, assholes, you brought this on yourselves,- I burned the wounds shut, it was painful, but not as much as it was before.

They started to open fire on me again, but this time I was much faster, I started with the group on my right, using the guns I had to fire upon them, two of the guards being taken down. I think I stopped caring at this point about not killing, they obviously wanted me dead, so I didn't bother anymore. I didn't have control over my anger, so it was hard to not give in to it.

I threw the guns at them, being sure to keep dodging the crowd behind me. I then, felt something new, my claws, I think I could use them differently now. I sent energy into them, and sure enough, two blades formed from purple and black aura took shape, leaving trails of something similar to fire behind it. The blades in length were much larger, but it added to weight to my body, I had free control.

I jumped forward and spun, the blades spinning around to cut through the attackers. The last one there who was left I dropped the energy to dissipate the blades, took hold of them, and started using them as a meat shield towards the other crowd.

They didn't care, they were too scared to get massacred and started firing. I then dropped my shield, and in an instant, called out the blades once again, and cut through two of them. The blades were too long for them to avoid, I went through the last few. Some were dead, some were incapacitated, either way, that was these ones.

I didn't know if there were any left, but the police could handle the rest, I made enough of a distraction, I needed to get to the real problems at hand here. I took two of the guns on the ground here and headed to the cafeteria area. I went to the side doors since they weren't blocked by students.

Since there wasn't much time to waste. I opened the door.

Everyone turned to look at me. Blood covered, carrying two guns, and with a cold stare piercing through them all. The students backed up, while the armed guards I could see aimed at me.

-Hold your fire,- I heard a familiar voice in my head.

I finished my walk outside, and stood in front of the crowd of students, looking over at the guards and creatures.

Before me were sights I wasn't prepared for. First, was the most obvious, Bruce. The dragon creature before me had to have been him, it was the spitting image of what I had fought that night. No mistaking it, that's him, and he was alive. Did it have to do with the change? I didn't know, but I didn't have time to think.

My next surprised was this creature in green and white. It looked fairly human, but also alien in nature, the white dress it wore gave it a very deceptive look, for I could tell it was just as dangerous as Bruce just by looking at it.

Then this last one, this one was certainly the one I did not expect to see. A creature in black, with white hair flowing from the top of it's head, one blue eye tracking me. It seemed, almost happy.

-If you fire at me at all, you'll end up like the others I killed, do I make myself clear?- I said sadistically.

"Xeta…" I heard a whisper from behind me, I could tell it was Elizabeth who had said it, but I didn't want to give attention to it.

I heard another voice behind me asking Xeta as well. That was Terry, I again brought no attention to it.

-Already boy's, hold your fire,- I believe that was the black creature that said that. It walked forward from the rest.

-Well Xeta, that's a new look, vicious!- I recognized it now. It was Monty, this sick bastard.

-Shut up,- I said simply.

-Jeez, no fun,- He said.

-So… Monty, I see they also changed you, thought I killed you,- I said.

-Oh you did, but seems whatever these guys use has a pretty innate effect of messing with the dead, funny ain't it?- He said.

You can bring back the dead with this stuff. That explains Bruce then, but why, how powerful is this serum. What did they use. No, I need to focus.

-I'm not laughing, in any case, I should just lay it out, you've got who you were looking for, everyone else here isn't needed, so you can let them all leave, and you have me, also don't think the others will be able to help you either,- I explained.

-Ahhh, so that's what's up with the blood, man, they really did create a killing machine didn't they, what's your body count Xeta?- Monty asked.

-What's yours?- I asked back.

-Touche,- He laughed.

-So, how about, we make a deal,- I said.

-A deal? I'm listening?- He said.

-Everyone here in the school gets to leave, without being attacked or targeted, and you and the others here, get to fight me alone,- I explained.

-Oh? So you're playing bait?- Monty asked.

-Yes, only difference is you actually get your catch,- I explained.

He stayed silent for a moment, seemingly in thought. The talking behind me grew louder, I could tell none of the students really understood what was happening. Though in the distance I heard sirens going off, it seems the call came through.

I heard Monty give a laugh, -Alright, I think I can agree, but I have my own terms,- he said.

-What's that?- Before I knew it he disappeared. I looked back and forth, and decided to try and sense him.

"ARGHHHHHH!" I heard a scream from behind me.

I turned around to see Elizabeth was held by her neck in the claws of Monty.

"YOU SON OF A B*TCH!" Terry screamed and tried to punch him. Brave but stupid, he got backhanded to the ground, reeling in pain.

I then screamed and ran towards him, and he disappeared once more. I looked around for him once again in a panic.

-Settle down there fido!- I heard his voice.

I looked up at the roof and saw Monty staring down, Elizabeth kicking and squirming in his claws.

I was about to jump but he put his other claws near her neck.

-Up bup bup, relax there doggo, I'm not gonna hurt her, this is just a part of my terms,- He explained.

I calmed down for a moment, and decided to listen, I was in a position where I had no choice.

-Now then, you seem pretty close with this girl, so, if I'm gonna follow your terms, you'll follow mine,- he explained.

"SIR WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" One of his armed men screamed.

-Shut up, or I'll tear you to ribbons,- he stopped smiling and looked at the man, the man realizing the danger he was in backed off.

-Now where was I, oh yes, this girl, you seem to know her, and she seems to know you, so, let's make a deal, I let everyone here go, and you fight the other two there, once you beat them, you get to fight me, but if you try to fight me before you beat these two, then she dies, think of it as a game, you like games right?- He explained.

-So… you wont hurt her? If I follow your rules you won't hurt her?!- I screamed in telepathy.

-Precisely, oh should also mention, the cops headed this way can help fight them too, I don't mind, as long as you don't fight me first,- He explained.

"Xeta don't listen to this bastard don't give him-ARHACK!" He started tightening the grip on her.

-Did I say you could speak?- He asked.

-OK OK! You got it, you have your wish,- I agreed.

-Good choice, and as promised, I wont hurt her, ok everyone! You're now allowed to leave, we've got what we want, so go live your little lives, and have some fun ok!?- He smiled and called to everyone here. The students left in droves once they realized they weren't gonna be followed, seems the cops had also showed up for this.

Once I felt as if the coast was clear of students I looked at the four in front of me. Was I really ready for this? I looked up at Monty who had then thrown Elizabeth behind him. I would have to fight now.

I gave myself a moment to scout out these two. First red flag I noticed was the collars on them. I didn't know what exactly what those were for, but I had a bad feeling in any case. I knew Bruce well enough to know what I was dealing with, but this other one, and by that extent Monty, would be trouble. Worse yet these two would wear me down before I even get to Monty, I'd have to finish it quick, my best bet is to try and lead them to the police and get help from them.

I pointed my guns at them. That's the plan, I have to see it through.

(Elizabeth POV)

I was thrown to the concrete of the roof, and started coughing from not being able to breathe.

-Ah, what fun! Man I haven't had this much fun in a long time,- I heard the creature say.

"You…" I said.

-Hm? Yes?- He asked.

"You're the one, who killed Xeta's family, aren't you?" I looked at him fiercely, with tears in my eyes.

-Why yes, I am!- He said with a smile.

"Why…?" I asked.

-Why what?- he asked.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO THEM!? YOU SACK OF FILTH! WHAT FORCE ON THIS PLANET MADE YOU PUT OUR LIVES THROUGH HELL AND BACK!?" I screamed at this creature.

He laughed at me.

-I was hired to do it, what more do you want?- He asked.

"You were hired, but you didn't just kill them, you decided to torture them, even Xeta, you made sure to torment him before changing him, WHAT WAS THE POINT OF IT!?" I asked.

He looked at me, his smile growing wider and wider.

-It was fun!- he said simply.

My eyes widened at him. Not fully grasping what I just heard.

"W...what?" I asked in confusion. My body turned cold, every fiber of my being went from giving this creature pure hatred, to wanting to run from it, no, wanting to not even exist at this given point in time, I wanted to disappear.

-I learned throughout life, to do what makes you happy, to have fun, and to not let anyone stop you from having it. I have fun doing what I do, it's no different from having a hobby, no different whatsoever, if I'm having fun, then I'll do it,- He said.

"You.. you sick… you're sick in the head, you kill people, you torment people, you think fun is to have it at the expense of others!?" I yelled.

He smiled wider, -It's the most fun, when it's at the expense of others. Being able to see a person run through all those options in their head, trying to find a solution to a problem or game I create for them, and seeing them lose all hope as I win the game, there's no greater feeling. Just look at your friend, he's playing by my rules, not his, he's in the palm of my hand, and I get to have as much fun as I like…. That and, well, you can probably guess being killed is going to leave someone pretty pissed off, ain't that right? It's basically simple math that I'd want to get revenge after being killed, what do you think?- He asked me.

"I think…. Xeta should have burned you as well," I said to him.

-Spoken like someone who's taken control of their life… that or gone crazy?- He said.

"If I am, I'm not as far gone as you!" I was becoming angry, this guy, no wonder Xeta did what he did. Xeta… you hurry up, even though I can't fight him alone, I'll play along, and wait for you.

He walked away and looked over the ledge, watching the fight unfold.

(Xeta POV)

Both of the armed guards were down. That left Bruce, and the other creature. The one in white pointed her hand at me, a bolt of pink energy shot out, nearly landing a hit. Bruce followed up the attack by trying to ram into me. Thankfully however my new strength was able to hold him back, and slip past him.

I then proceeded to try and lead them over to the police. They followed like mosquitoes to a light. I noticed the police lined up outside, an officer slowly looking in the direction of the building I just came from the side of.

-LISTEN IF YOU GUYS WANT TO LIVE WORRY ABOUT THE ONE'S BEHIND ME,- I screamed into the heads of the officers nearby. Who brought their focus to the monsters behind me.

They were about to open fire, but to give them some confidence to my loyalty, I turned around, and shot energy from my paw into the direction of Bruce and the other creature, causing an explosion of dust to shoot at them. I then jumped back onto the top of a police car and did not move.

Of course the officers gave me the same spill I'd been hearing today, I already gave up my secret, there was nothing of value that could be lost at this point.

"Who are you, no what are you!?" A woman officer asked, pointing a gun at me.

-That doesn't matter right now, look, all you need to know is I'm on your side, we have bigger problems right now, those two over there,- I explained.

The officer looked at the other two.

-So, how about this, I help you take them out, and then I answer all your questions?- I asked.

She looked back at me, then back at the other two.

"I'll take you up on that, since it seems you can speak, officer, get the swat team out here," she said.

"Got it Officer Veil," the officer runs off to get the swat teams.

-Ok, look, I'm going to handle the smaller one for now, can you all hold off the larger one til I do?- I asked.

"It's a dinosaur," She said sarcastically.

-I won't take long,- I said.

"Better now, EVERYONE FIRE AT THE LARGER ONE!" They start firing getting Bruce's attention and I go after the other creatures.

I jumped at the other one, and slammed her to the ground. She retaliated by swinging her arm sending a wave of energy at me. This made me realize she uses energy over physical strength. I made the swords once again, and as I tried to hit her a force field appeared and stopped me. She sent a wave of energy at me I had to block.

As I was pushed back, I noticed the creature start to become dazed, taking hold of her head. Then next thing I know it starts getting shocked. I took a closer look and realized it was the collar it was wearing.

After the shock it became angrier and started to attack me once more. I decided to remove my focus on attacking, her, and to try and reason with her.

"Wait stop! What are you doing, why are you fighting!?" I asked.

She seemed to respond to it, "W-why?"

"Yeah, we don't have to fight, I don't want to hurt you!" I said once more.

"We don't… have to fi-" Before I knew it she wasn't being shocked again, then her eyes grew angrier and attacked me again.

So she's been conditioned to fight due to the shock? I was only guessing at this point, I had to act fast here. She shot another wave that I ducked under, then slammed the ground with her hand that cause a full shockwave around her.

"I'm… are you hu-AHHH!?" She started getting shocked again, now was my chance, I made one of the staffs I had, appeared right behind her, then aimed and slammed the collar, it knocked her down, but the collar didn't break yet.

She tried to pull at the collar which administered another shock to her. Seems if she tried to take it off or even try and do something to do it she would get hurt from it. If she wasn't a threat without the collar on, she's definitely the least threatening one here.

I kept the staff out over the blades, I would break their hold over her.

She shoots a few more shots at me, which I dodge, but was hit by one. I throw the staff at her which she has to block. She knocks it into the air, which I jump up and grab. Falling down I prepare to hit the collar again. She tries to dodge, but thankfully, she only dodged far enough to where I didn't hit her, and all force was given to the collar.

That his actually shattered it. It must have been made to fight back more against the one it's on rather than outside interference was my guess. The collar fell to the ground which she just stared at. She started rubbing her neck not really understanding what was happening to her.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"What did you do? Why doesn't it hurt anymore?" She asked.

"The collar was what was hurting you, it's not on you, so it can't hurt you anymore," I said.

"It can't… who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Xeta, who are you?" I asked.

That seemed to be the wrong question the ask, cause she started to freak out.

"Who am I…? Who, who am, who who am I? Who am I? Ah, who am, ah, ah ha, AH, ARGH! AHHHH" She started screaming.

I couldn't deal with this right now, I simply walked behind her, and elbowed the back of her neck, she fell over, out cold. I gently set her down.

"Sorry about that… I'll figure out what happened to you, and now then," I looked over at Bruce who was proceeding to flip over a police car as he was getting shots fired at him.

I quickly ran over as Bruce had already done some damage to a few of the officers. As he nearly got his jaws on one of them I quickly jumped in front of him, and kicked him as hard as I possibly could.

"TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!" The female officer I talked to before yelled.

-Yeah no sh*t! Shut up and keep firing!- I ran up and started using my blades on Bruce. It seemed like I was cutting through his armor a bit. He spun around and slammed his tail into me. The officers started firing at him with shotguns, which distracted him long enough.

Officer Veil ran over to me.

"So can you give me an idea of what the hell we're dealing with? You can speak so do it!" She said.

-Yeah yeah, look, best thing I can say is, insane armor, I've fought him before, so we've got to find a weak point, or hit him hard enough to knock him out,- I said.

The officer looked around her.

"Would a car work?" She asked.

I looked at one of the swat vans she motioned towards.

-Yeah, and you know what, here's an idea, ram him, then jump out,- I explained.

"What? Then what?" She asked.

-Leave it to me,- she listened and went over to the truck. I sent a message through to all the other officers to clear out of the way.

They did so, and I slashed Bruce across the back with the new blades, flames being left behind in the wounds. He turned around, and with a single swing of his arm he sent a tornado right at me. I got down and tried to hold myself in place. I then was met with another slash from him. I caught myself as best I could and continued to dodge the oncoming pursuit from him. Being I was in a much more open area, it wasn't as hard to keep away from him.

But I wasn't prepared for his next move, he jumped forward, fast. With no time to react he was able to get his jaws on me. He shook me a bit, and the pain was burning, but I focused best I could to send more energy from my paw to fire at Bruce. Thankfully the force was enough for him to let me go, but the chase was still on.

He did something I had never seen him do before. He jumped forward, and started spinning like a drill. He surrounded himself in this purple and orange aura. To fight back I made a staff to hold back this attack. I started getting pushed back due to the force of the attack once more. I was getting overpowered by the strength of this dragon.

I heard a noise behind me, and knew what I had to do. I built up energy in my paw once again, and then released it to push back his attack, alongside destroying my staff. It knocked him back just enough, he was still coming, but I knew what was coming. I jumped back into air and under me was a swat van going full speed.

The truck rams right into Bruce. I land and see that he's able to hold back the truck.

"COME ON BUDGE A$$HOLE!" I hear the officer scream from inside the car and Bruce is holding it back. I then started charging up more energy into my paw.

-JUMP OUT NOW!- I screamed to her.

Thankfully she listened, and jumped right out. I did the next attack. I ran straight forward and flung myself forward, kicking the car, causing Bruce to get flung into the air, including the car. Then in the last second, I used the built up energy in my paw, to launch the truck right at Bruce, him and the truck slamming into the road. Bruce rolled and slid back as the car rolled over a few times.

Thankfully since all the officers got out of the way, no one except Bruce was hit.

The officer was getting up from her landing.

"Did… did we do it?" She asked.

Just then Bruce started to get up again. I got myself ready and so did she. Then… he fell back down, and his movement ceased. I walked up to check on him. He was still breathing, but he was definitely out cold.

-Yeah… yeah I think we did,- I said, -Now then, I think we need to restrain him,- I said.

"Let my men get on that, and what about her?" She asked.

-She, doesn't seem like a threat, she didn't even want to fight, I can ask her questions later, for now though just don't treat her too bad and she shouldn't give you a hard time, also she can't speak to you, keep that in mind,- I said.

"Ok, wait you can understand her?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Alright, now then, time to ask you some questions," She started.

-Sorry, but there's one more thing,- I pointed up on the roof of the building.

"What the hell is that?" She asked.

-He's the last one who showed up, question you've evacuated the students right?- I asked.

"My men are on that, why?" She asked.

-That one up there has a last hostage, and he's already made a deal with me,- I said.

"What deal?" She asked.

-He wont kill her as long as he gets to fight me alone,- I explained.

"No, too risky, I won't let you," she started.

-Ma'am as much as I know how important it is that you don't lose me, I doubt he'll just sit up there and wait to be attacked, if you thought the dragon was bad, that one has full control like me, and I don't know what he can do yet,- I explained.

"Wait, the dragon we fought didn't have control?" She asked.

-We basically fought a wild animal,- I explained.

Her eyes widened at the context of that.

-Look, you let me do this, I'll come with you, and I'll answer all your questions, no matter what, ok? Please… I can't let her die,- I explained.

She looked up at the creature. Then back to me.

"Give him hell, and don't kill him if you can help it," she explained.

-No promises,- I said.

She let me go and headed over to help the injured. I then made my way over to the roof of the cafeteria. I jumped up where I say Monty and Elizabeth.

"Yo Xeta! I'm quite impressed, not only getting the color off of one of my partners, but the thing with the truck was crafty, didn't expect that."

I didn't answer him, I silently sent messages to Elizabeth.

-Are you ok, nod if you are,- I said.

She nodded, she then gave a sinister look to Monty.

"Are you just gonna ignore me? Come on this is a reunion we should be happy to see each other!" Monty said.

"Why would I, ever be happy to see you?" I asked.

"Because, I gave you your new powers, look at all the crazy stuff you can do now!" He said.

"You, took everyone, everyone I knew, why, what did it matter? And… how, necessary was it to kill him, my little brother?! Tell me, he was so young, he probably wouldn't have even understood what happened, why!? Why a kid?!" I asked.

He just shook his head, "Can we stop acting like I actually care what you have to say, as I said to the girl there, what I do, I do because I enjoy it, I don't care who's lives I take."

"Cause you… enjoy it?" I asked.

"Come on kid, don't act like you didn't enjoy killing me, you know you loved it, and I'm gonna love killing you back," He said.

I gave a breath, "Sure, ok… Now I get it, you don't have a care in the world for lives, or who matters, every person I killed, I didn't enjoy, but I did enjoy killing you, and you know what, I won't give you the satisfaction of me enjoying your death for the second time. I'm gonna make you disappear, and no one will remember you, that, is truly a fate, worse than hell."

"So then, you finally ready to finish our game, you kill me, you win, and you both get to live, I kill you, I kill as many as I want to, your choice," He said.

He snapped his fingers, and we were surrounded in shadow. The entire roof was turned into like a cage, darkness filling every direction. Elizabeth was also in the shadow prison.

Both me and monty both held out our hands, a blade forming from my claw ready to cut his neck, and a shadow blade put at mine.

"One more dance for the road," He said.

I knocked his blade away with mine, and then I pulled out my old broken sword.

"Hehehe, oh that brings back memories, weren't we both wounded by that? I'm surprised you kept the blade I stabbed you with," He said.

"Old habits don't usually die," I said.

I looked at Elizabeth who seemed to be reaching for her pocket, she must have had the pocket knife on her, I guess she wanted to fight, but we needed to wait.

-Hold off,- I told her.

She seemed to hear me and stopped herself.

-Girl know your place, this doesn't concern you, you get involved you're free game to me,- Monty said.

She seemed concerned but stayed down, knowing full well that this part wasn't when she could get involved.

I then tried something, using my sword as a conductor, I sent energy through the blade, forming the rest of the blade back with it. Then with my other claw I formed the other blade.

So I charged at him. Swinging the sword at him trying to cut him down. He was, in retaliation, forming his own swords made of black energy to try and land a hit. I then tried to swing at him, but it just phased through him, and his body shot at me, exploding into energy.

I caught myself. And tried to recollect what just happened. Seems like he was similar to the other creature, another energy based creature. For some reason however the attack didn't feel as strong. I didn't necessarily know why though.

"Let's have some fun!" He started forming these cubes of energy, and started firing them at me.

I dodged, and jumped to avoid the attacks. But to counteract my strategy he flew forward cover himself with insane looking energy, he flew forward and launched into me. I flew back and caught myself on one of the black walls.

So, another ability, he could fly, and completely engulf himself with him energy. Make clones, and what else.

"RARBG HH," I turn around to see Bruce again, how did he?!

"XETA WATCH OUT!" Elizabeth screamed at me. I was focused on the dragon but before I knew it, I had my muzzle in the grasp of Monty, shooting energy at me and then through Bruce, who just fell into black liquid.

I landed hard, a residual crash resounding through the cage. I spat out blood, the side of my muzzle fur was singed. Just what was that. I saw Bruce, and then he wasn't really there. Was I seeing things, or was he making me see them?

"Come on friend, you want to attack me don't you?" No, he's baiting me. Instead of that.

I closed my eyes, and used my vision to look for him, he was actually behind the image in front of me. So I ran up, acted like I was gonna hit the image. He was about to retaliate, but I spun around it, and slashed him with both blades, leaving cuts in his arms.

The image he had made disappeared and he reappeared in front of me.

"Well… that's not fair at all," He said.

Without giving him to think I ran behind him, sent energy to the claws on my feet, and started kicking. One, two, then third going straight to his chin as I flew back, the trails of burning dark energy resided from where I kicked.

I then used my speed to get behind him, and started spinning the staff around me for multiple hits, the following up with charged energy to send him upward.

He seemed now to try and hold himself in the air. But he wasn't prepared for me to jump straight up, doing a backflip kick once more to spin him around. Then with another charged blast I sent him flying back down towards the ground.

"ARHG!" He hit the ground with a resounding thud. Elizabeth noticed what I was doing next and started to move away from us.

With my sword and claw blades I started forming one massive sword made of energy, ready to use most of the energy from this form to take him out. I started falling, using the momentum to prepare for the swing. I saw him from below preparing energy as well.

"HAHA, THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO SEE!" He screamed up, laughing as he began his swing as well.

Our blades clashed, the force I felt beginning to push me back, as if a tornado was trying to pull me in. Through it I gave one more push, then in that moment, the energy we both formed exploding.

Monty flew straight back, hitting the ground a few time as he finally collided with the wall in the far back of the cage.

I on the other hand was sent straight up, colliding with the roof of the cage. As I colidded I felt the air forcibly leave my lungs, like my body had forcibly closed the windpipes to where I could no longer breathe. I started falling, my second form giving way, since I used up its power. My body wouldn't listen to me, the impact had caused all my focus to try and regain my breathing.

Thankfully however, I had been tackled in mid air, Elizabeth had charged into a full sprint in order to catch me. We both rolled across the floor.

She got up first as I started coughing, trying to regain composure.

"You ok?" She asked.

-Yeah, I think,- I said back.

I reached back for my broken sword. And picked it up.

-What about him?- I looked over to see him getting up off the wall.

"Seems he's still up and running," She said, "Xeta, we need to take this guy out, let me help."

-I understand that, but he's not weak enough, I need to knock him down just a little more, we're trapped in here, the only way out is,- I was gonna continue, but she finished the sentence.

"Is to beat him," She said.

-You still have that knife?- I asked.

She nodded.

-Good, get ready to use it, not yet though, wait for your chance, and don't miss it,- I said.

"Xeta, we'll get out of this," She said.

I nodded, and prepared to fight.

"SEEMS THAT FORMS OUT HUH!? Well just so you know I've got plenty MORE!" He started getting more energy ready, and I decided I would spend all of my energy into speed.

I could tell though, the last attacked caught him off guard, he's hurt, but not enough.

-I trust you to choose when to attack ok?- I said to her alone.

She nodded once again, seeming to understand the situation.

I ran forward, Monty shooting some more energy blasts in my direction. Using my speed I zoomed past each one and landed a clean blow. He returned fire by spinning another blade around himself. He started forming clones again, I didn't have time to read since they all charged at me.

One phased through, then another. I tried to attack the third, but I made a mistake, he landed another shot of energy at me. Then turned and aimed at Elizabeth.

"I SAW YOU HELP HIM, HERE'S ONE HIT FOR YA!" He fired a shot in her direction, I was about to head in her direction, but she was able to dodge the blast in time. So I turned my direction back to Monty, whose focus was still on Elizabeth.

I landed a solid punch right to the face, following up with a knee to push him back. Then he did something I didn't expect, he punched me back.

"GO TO HELL!" He punched me again.

"F*CK YOU!" I punched him back again.

He then tackled me, "THIS TIME YOU'll DIE!"

I rolled back and flipped him over me, sending him into the wall, running over to punch him as he was against it, "YOU'LL ANSWER FOR EVERYONE YOU KILLED!" I tried to stab him with my broken sword, but he avoided it.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR KILLING ME!" He said after throwing me to the side. He tackled me and tried to claw my eyes, but I stabbed the sword into his hand before he could. I kicked him off, he pulled the blade out and started attacking me again.

I dodged a slash, punched him while he was stuck, then got slashed again, being thrown to the ground. He then did something I wasn't prepared for, he started firing bolt after bolt, and I tried to avoid them, but there were so many that I eventually got caught in it.

I tried to get up from where I was at, but then felt a kick to the gut as I tried.

"This seems familiar, you at my feet like the dog you are," I tried to jump up, but was met with him grabbing my fist, then punching me to the ground again.

"Ah yes, that's it, cower in fear, shriek in pain!" He then grabbed me and threw me on the ground again.

I felt as if my body was trying to shut down on itself, as if I was trying to drift off into a deep sleep. I couldn't let myself though, I started forcing every fiber of my being to get up off the ground, with all the energy spent and fights I had been in were finally taking their toll.

As I looked up I saw Monty's claws raised.

"Good night dog! REST IN HELL!" He started to swing down his claws.

Before the claws landed their mark, a resounding slicing sound rang through the air, blood shot forward and landed in drops on my face. I looked up and saw Monty looking down, to see a broken blade stabbed through his body. He turned his head around, and I looked behind him to see Elizabeth, who had picked up my sword and stabbed him.

"You…" Monty started.

"Yeah me!" ELizabeth pulled out her knife and then stabbed him in the neck before he could react.

Monty let out a resounding scream, spun himself around, swinging his arm and hitting Elizabeth back. She landed with a thud, and Monty started to move forward. Before he could act I jumped forward and started stabbing the blade further into his back.

"ARGGGG YOU STUPID F*CKING," I then pulled the knife out his neck and threw it to Elizabeth, I then held onto him to make sure he couldn't move.

-ELIZABETH DO IT NOW!- I made sure to do my best to restrain him.

She grabbed her knife, ran up screaming, and started stabbing him. Once in the chest, once in the neck, then one right in his eye. He screamed and squiremed, he was able to get himself out of my grasp, and started choking Elizabeth.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU B*TCH!" I got flung back, but got myself back up fast, then jumped forward, kicking the handle of the blade, not only knocking him down but shooting the sword through him.

He fell forward with a thud, started to try and get up, but I quickly ran up, bit into his neck, and jabbed both of my claws on my wrists into his back. Elizabeth then ran up with my sword once more, jumping up, then stabbing the blade into his chest.

"Ah.. argh… so that's… the option you… chose…. What fun…. BUT I WON'T GO ALONE!"

Just then his claws grew brighter and brighter above his head, energy forming above his head. He then shot it below our feet. Just then the cage shattered, then the energy exploded, the roof giving out from the power, screaming from Monty, Elizabeth, and I ringing out. Then everything went black.

I woke up, probably not long after, since the roof was still crumbling a bit.

I pulled myself up, rubble falling off me, and I looked around. Rubble was everywhere in the cafeteria, the door to the outside being blocked, but another exit was around.

I felt a stabbing pain in my leg, looking down was a piece of rebar jutting out from both sides of my leg, perfectly impaled into it. Knowing I couldn't walk with that in there, I firmly grasped the piece of screwed metal, and will all of my might, and a scream, was able to rip it out. Using some energy I burned the small wounds shut, and got myself up.

-Elizabeth! ELIZABETH!?- I called out through telepathy.

She wasn't responding, so I decided to use my aura vision to look around. I noticed two aura's in the room with me, one closer than the other. I went to the first one and saw a grueling site. There was Monty, this skilled creature brought back from the dead, covered in rubble, a blade stick in his eye and chest, blood leaking from the rubble he fell on and from his opened mouth.

He was dead, it seemed the impact either killed him, or he succumbed to his wounds. Either way this man was dead, no, this monster was dead, for the second time…

Good riddance… Asshole.

"Xeta…?" I heard a quiet a voice from the other aura I sensed.

-Elizabeth!?- I answered back.

I ran over and saw her, she had the wounds she had from the fight, and was covered with a few pieces of rubble, some cuts and scrapes on her arm and face, but it didn't crush her, and nothing I saw was fatal. Her glasses had also broken in the crash.

"Hey… are you ok?" she asked.

-I'm fine! ARE YOU!?- I asked.

"Yeah… maybe? I can't feel my legs, but… otherwise I think I'm ok… I might need new glasses though, could you, just help get this stuff off me?" She asked in a weak voice. This was the second time she's been put into a situation like this, she must have been in pain, but she was taking it better than last time.

-Ok ok, just stay still and I'll move it off you ok?- I said.

She nodded and held her breath.

I then carefully moved the rubble, starting from her legs. It seemed one of them was broken, but the other seemed useable.

-Your leg seems broken…- I said sadly.

"That's… ok, just promise you'll… come visit in the hospital ok?" She smiled, trying to laugh even though she was in pain.

I smiled reassuringly, -Yeah, sure no problem…- I was lying, I promised the police they'd get their answers, but she didn't need to know that right now.

-Ok, now for the waist,- I started moving the pieces bit by bit.

Slowly but surely started to uncover her. And then continued to move the pieces of concrete off of her, it seems I would need to carry her out of here. I slowly but surely made sure to move the concrete off her, making sure that it didn't crush her as I did.

-Alright, last piece,- I slowly started moving the biggest piece off of her. I pulled with all of my strength, lifted it up, and threw it over my shoulder to the side, a loud crash residing from it.

I looked back over to help her up… and froze.

She looked up at me in confusion, "Xeta…? Xeta what is it?"

I started visibly shaking at what I was seeing here. My body convulsing in disgust, reeling at the reality that it was having to face and fathom.

"Xeta..?" she looked down at herself and realized what I was looking at.

The scene before me was sickening, jutting out from her chest, and near her side, were two pieces of rebar that had stabbed through her. The pieces I could see were stained blood red. The clothing she wore absorbed the liquid into the fabric. A puddle of crimson forming under her.

"X...Xeta?" She looked up at me.

-No, no no… ah, ah OK, ok Elizabeth, uh,- I started freaking out.

"Xeta… we need, to get me off, the bleeding isn't stopping," she said.

-Yeah… yeah ok!- I said.

I took a look, they were bent a bit, I would have to move them to pull her off of them.

-Ok, ok, we need to get you off the rebar ok? I'm going to move them so that it will be a straight shot to get you off, then I'll burn your wounds shut ok?- I explained.

"O-oh ok," she said breathing a bit heavier now.

I then reached my paw onto the first piece of rebar. Slowly but surely pulling it and straightening the end of it out. I then straightened out the next one.

-Listen, Elizabeth, no matter what, you can't pass out, understand, no matter how much you have to scream, do it, you need to stay awake, I won't sugarcoat this, it's gonna hurt,- I explained.

"Shut up, and get it over with already," she said preparing herself.

She put one hand under herself, and took the other one in my paws. Then as a ravenous scream resounded from her, we started lifting her up, slowly but surely, and the screaming didn't stop. And then with an unforgettable sound, she was ripped from the rebar, and I caught her. She screamed and cried out from the pain of it, the blood pouring more profusely now.

I then quickly use my energy to burn the hole shut, her screaming and crying by each one I had to close.

She took some deep breaths, the crying not stopping.

"Ah.. ha, hic, arghha!" She screamed and whimpered in pain.

-It's ok, it's ok, we'll leave now ok, I'll carry you,- I tried to pick her up, but even bending her back made her scream out, I wouldn't be able to hold her this way, she could pass out from the shock.

"STOP STOP I CAN'T!" she screamed.

-Dammit, then, we need to get you to them then, or I could bring them here,- I explained.

"It's ok, I can wait he-" I was listening to her, but a deafening cough, and the sound of liquid hitting the floor brought my attention back to her. She had just coughed up blood, a lot of it.

-WHAT NO NO NO…. Wait, where did that rebar..- I looked at the wounds placement, right side, close to the chest… NO NO F*CK, DID IT HIT THE LUNG!?

-NO NO F*CK, NO NO,- God dammit NO, I couldn't move her, and that much blood loss wouldn't get enough time to get her to the hospital, GOD DAMMIT WHAT DO I DO!?

I felt her tug my arm as she laid there. I looked back to see tears in her eyes.

"I… changed my mind, don't leave," she said.

-If I don't get you help you're going to die!- I screamed through telepathy.

"I… don't want to be alone…" Her words hit me like a truck.

I didn't know why. But those words hit home with me more than anything. I complied with what I was told, almost subconsciously, I took off my coat and laid it under her head, so she wasn't laying on concrete.

As I did she moved her hand up to my muzzle.

"So… warm," I saw her smile weakly, "I'm sorry, for getting caught like that… It seems like I just caused you trouble…"

-You… didn't do anything like that...- I said softly, I felt myself shaking again.

She reached up and grabbed my ears, "Haha… that's funny, never really… got to mess with these… they're so cute."

I felt myself losing control, -Please… stop... -

She then placed her hands on my face, "Heh, kinda funny, never got to mess, with you like this, wonder if you would get like winter coat, kinda like a snow dog-"

-Please stop!- I yelled out.

I lost control, I started crying. Everything that was happening had finally hit me, she was dying… She was dying fast… What, was I supposed to do? What option did I have…?

She, gave a very sad laugh, "Sorry… I just, wanted to… cheer you up…"

She coughed again. I stayed silent, my brain dashing at a mad pace, doing whatever it could to find a solution to the problem at hand. It ran through every option, every outcome, and it just kept racing.

My train of thought was lost, as I felt her hand wrap around my neck, and brought me down close, into a warm hug.

"Please, just please… stay like this…. Please…." she asked softly.

I didn't dare move, every word from her was not a request in my mind, it was something I had to do, no matter what.

"I just… want to stay like this… I just want to stay…" and that was it. I then start to hear quiet sobbing from her. Wet tears hitting the side of my face as I heard her cry.

"I… don't want… I don't want, to die… I want to stay here… I wanna stay, I don't wanna go…"

Every word hurt, every word from her, hurt worse than any punch, any stab, or any bullet.

"Xeta…" She said choking on sobs.

I lifted my head up to look at her.

"I don't… want to leave you," she had tears in her eyes.

That was it, this was the second time this had happened, but my body felt it had gone into auto pilot again. Something took control of me. It was either instinct, or something else, I don't know entirely what.

I was able to speak, -I wont… lose you…-

I got up from the hug, she kept her palm on my face. With no control of what was happening, my body moved my paws onto her chest.

"What are you…" She tried to speak, my body didn't respond.

Energy started forming from my paws. It was something different however, it was almost like a bright white, with the same black and purple particles of my own energy appearing from it. The energy, started to envelope her body, in my mind, I was being filled with joy. Whatever I was doing had to be helping her, it had to have been. Her hand was still laying on my face, she was still conscious.

Then the energy shot a very weak shockwave around us. The energy, over her body, then seemed to be absorbed into her.

I was then given control back, and looked down at her. I was starting to smile, thinking I had just saved her.

Then her hand fell. I looked down at it, reaching for it. I tried picking it up, but it was limp. I looked over at her. Face stained with blood, eyes closed.

I put my ear to her chest… Her heart stopped…

"No… no.. No. NO! NO!" I was screaming.

I tried shaking her, "HEY, HEY WAKE UP, WAKE UP!"

I was panicking.

"SOMEONE! ANYONE PLEASE, HELP SHE NEEDS HELP!"

"No god please no, for the love of god no."

I tried to pray, to whoever would even listen.

"God PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T DO THIS DON'T TAKE HER PLEASE I'M BEGGING YOU!"

But, I received no answer, no hospital could get to her in time.

Then I tried begging.

I took her body in my arms, so scared, so hurt, so angry, every emotion played out in my mind like an orchestra. The last remaining energy in my body just fired off around me, out of control, no care in the world.

"PLEASE SOMEONE HELP HER, ANYONE GOD DAMNIT ANYONE HELP HER PLEASE… I BEG… YOU PLEASE! HELP! SOMEONE…. ANYONE… GOD…. Anyone… anyone… ple..ase… pl..ea..se…."

There were no more words to be said. My body, my mind, and my soul were tired. Tears continued streaming down my face. Consciousness was slowly beginning to leave my body. I felt myself fall over, the body of the last person I had in my life still wrapped in my arms. The last thing I saw, was Elizabeth's face… She looked, so peaceful, as if nothing had even happened… My eyes closed…

(Officer Veil, present)

I looked at this blue dog, who could throw cars, end lives, run at speeds I couldn't even imagine, and was stronger than most if not all humans…. Crying…

This creature, who I had seen fight, who was stronger than anything I had ever seen, was now… Just, broken. A former shell of what it used to be.

He just sat there. He didn't speak, he didn't move. I just heard the sobbing, the sad sound of sobbing. It sounded almost like a dog whimpering. I looked down, not even wanting to speak anymore. I didn't have the audacity, to ask the creature another question in this moment, and I doubt from his reaction, any of what he had told me was a lie.

I got up… and walked out of the room, without a word.

His story haunted me, for more than one reason…. I needed to do one thing though, I would give him time to himself, but, when he's done. I have to confirm something.

"Just wait Xeta… I'll make sure, that you didn't lose everything," I started walking, knowing exactly where I would go.


	32. Chapter 31 Something Beyond

(Officer Veil POV: Days Prior)

As a battle on the roof raged on inside of a cube of darkness on the roof of the school, I was helping line up students and getting them to safety. My team and I moving people along as paramedics, firemen, and the media started to show themselves. The media had their reporters perfectly lined up to show the action going down on top of the roof. Of course they couldn't really see anything, everyone, including myself, were intrigued.

Alongside making sure the media and everyone stayed a safe distance, I had my men moving the two unconscious creatures we had in custody. Now with a clearer mind, I was able to realize what these could be connected to. I remember the last time the school was attacked by two strange creatures. They were unidentified, traits that didn't fit the animal they closely resembled. Not to mention the ice, it seemed the powers between these creatures varied as well.

The creature in green and white was surprisingly human. Quite frankly I would say I was quite jealous of how beautiful she looked, stunning even. It was rather a rare sight to see such a creature in comparison to the rest I had seen here today. She was tied down on a stretcher, carried by two of my officers and two paramedics. While uninjured it seemed wise to still keep her under wraps, neither the people here nor myself could take the risk of them attacking. Still, though, the creature from before told me she didn't seem like a threat, thankfully for that reason I wasn't that worried.

But the other one, this other one was on a whole other level. It was brutal and vicious, and unrelenting. Injured a good five of my men before the creature joined in. They'll be out for a good time, and this thing got hit by a truck, and he doesn't even looked all that banged up. I ordered my men to restrain every part of the creature's body, while cruel, it was necessary to make sure no one got hurt. On top of that, I got my men to get the collar it was wearing off, using jaws of life to break it, just to make sure it didn't cause any unwanted issues. We could try to lock him up in the intensity ward, for now, strongest place back at the jail.

Soon enough there were now media choppers surrounding the area alongside the other media outlets. They were doing their best to get pictures of the creatures, and a lot focused on the huge cube on the roof as well. My officers were successful in loading the two creatures, the dragon sporting his own swat van all to himself.

"Hey! Anyone!" I heard screaming from behind me, it seemed to be one of the students was trying to get one of the officer's attention.

I walked over to the young man, "Yes, is something wrong?"

"Hey look, I need to know if you've seen my friends, I've looked everywhere for them, I can't find them anywhere!" he said in a concerned tone.

"Alright slow down, give me your name and then the names of your friends, we'll look for them," I said.

"Okay, name's Terry, my friends are Xeta, he has a large scar on his neck, you can't miss him, and Elizabeth, damn it, she was taken by that one creature up on the roof," He said.

That made me stop for a moment, he knew the hostage, and second I knew the name Xeta from a couple of incidents in the past, the last school attack and the arson.

"The girl who was taken was Elizabeth?" I asked.

"Yeah, I don't remember her last name, but you can't miss her either, glasses, scars on her face. I didn't know if she was okay or not, that creature just took her suddenly, and held her hostage, the blue dog was there too… and…" The young man said, stopping himself.

"And what?" I asked in response.

"Just, look can you find them ok?" he asked again.

"I'll do what I can if they aren't here they must be inside. Once we deem the area clear, we'll head in and-" Before I knew it I was cut off by a loud bang, almost like if a bomb had gone off.

Screaming surfaced from everyone here, the area shaking violently from the shockwave. I looked over at the roof of the school to see the cube that was originally formed was now shattering and breaking apart. Falling piece by piece was not only the cube but from the dust cloud, I assumed that the roof had given way.

"Damn it," I looked over at a few of my squad mates, "You guys with me, we're heading in!"

I put on a helmet as quickly as possible, getting ready for anything that was waiting for us inside the school. One of my team handed me an SMG, better suited for this sort of scenario. My team and I started approaching the school, deciding that the best way was through the entrance, and making our way through there to the cafeteria.

We cleared the entrance, nothing. We started moving down the hall, but before crossing it we checked our points. Left, nothing clear, right-

My train of thought had been taken over by instinct, moving back into cover as a few bullets flew by, one scraping my arm.

"No, no, NO! Stay back, I'm not going anywhere!" I heard down the hallway.

"You ok ma'am?" One of my fellow officers asked quietly.

"Yeah, seem to be some stragglers in here, thought they all ran out and got captured," I said to him.

"We should aim for his gun, so we can take him in alive," the officer said.

"Good thinking," I said.

We got ready to turn the corner, preparing ourselves to fire. I rolled out while he stayed in cover. In the split second, I saw this man covered in black gear, holding a small machine gun in hands, laying on the floor with a heavily damaged leg, with bodies surrounding him. I retained my focus in the split second my mind raced, my fellow officer also turning the corner, we fired, hitting the man's gun and right hand, blood spouting from the wound he obtained.

The man screamed, trying to go for his gun again, my officers were quick enough to take hold and make sure he couldn't move, the man's protests going unanswered.

"Holy hell…" My fellow officer said.

I was finally able to take in the carnage, an entire hallway filled to the brim with blood and bodies. There was no indication that all were dead or all were alive, but this was still bad.

"You two, check them to see if they're still breathing, and detain the ones that are, the rest of you with me!" I ordered.

My men and I got ready to head inside the cafeteria. Covering each side of the door. We all took a breath, and I gave the signal. We rushed in, checking our corners to see if we could spot anything. Rubble surrounded the area, burning rock filling the rims of the roof that were destroyed. Pieces of rebar and brick lined the area we were in.

As I walked I heard a noise come from under me as I stepped. I looked down to see a small patch of fresh blood, and drops of it leading further in.

"Got something…" I whispered and my team took notice.

They started to follow me as we moved our way forward. Slowly we moved, making sure every footstep made as little noise as possible. I was waiting for either the blue dog or the black creature to jump out. While the blue dog helped me, I still don't know if I can trust it, it could use this chance to get rid of us and run. Then there was the girl that was here, where'd she end up in all of this. My mind then suddenly stopped at the sight to my right.

My men and I all pointed our weapons at what we saw, but I realized something I spoke up.

"Hold it!" I said.

My men resisted the urge to fire. I took a step closer to the thing we saw. The black creature from before, with white hair running down the side of where he lay, and a blue eye rolled back into its skull, blood stained the sides of its face, and a knife poking out of where it's other eye should be. I looked up to see the rest of the carnage. A broken sword had pierced the way through the creatures chest cavity, leaving a pool of blood to leak around him and past the rocks under him. The lower half of its body had been crushed by the rubble from the explosion. I saw no movement, and I slowly moved closer, trying to listen for breathing or anything. I got nothing, this creature, was surely…

"It's dead…" I said in disbelief.

"Ma'am are you sure?" one officer asked, their guns still trained on the creature.

"Yeah, yeah I think so, no breathing, no movement, and the wounds, I think it's safe to say it's gone," I said with a sigh of relief.

My men lowered their weapons. I told the others to scout around while one stayed with me to inspect the body.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I'm not sure, I'm not sure about any of this," I said.

"I don't blame you," he said back, "What do you think killed it?"

"It could have been a number of things, his lower half is crushed beyond repair, and with the blood from the rocks it's safe to say it wouldn't have survived that. On top of that, it got double tapped with the knife to the eye and the broken sword… possibly the fall itself too," I gave my reasoning.

"Speaking of which, where did the weapons come from?" My fellow officer asked.

"Uh. Ma'am… you may want to see this…" I heard from another part of the cafeteria from another officer.

I got up alongside my teammate and moved to see what the rest of them found. I saw them gathered around something, and they moved out of the way to let us see it. I saw the blue creature from before. It had removed the coat it had worn prior to our first meeting. It was laying down, but it seemed to be breathing. I noticed a cut in its leg and other marks and wounds on it. He was alive, thankfully.

Sadly, however, my relief had not stayed for long. A second later I looked on the ground and saw blood. Following its trail, I saw rebar that was stained red poking out from where it broke from the explosion. I looked back over, and finally noticed what had been laying in blood next to the blue creature….

"Oh my god…"

(Xeta POV, Present)

I sat there in silence, just pure, calm, silence. No sounds, nothing to focus on, just me, in this room, looking down at my paws. It's weird, I never really gave it thought, not for a while at least. This feeling felt odd, I remember having hands, controlling five joints, now only limited to three.

I moved my ears, just to feel it. Moved around my head as if they were a dogs. It was natural, just something that I could do now, that I couldn't before. Back, and forth, my ears moved, continuing back and forth in my madness.

I then moved my tail, it felt like a third arm. It two felt natural, just moving a body part, that's all it was. It swayed like a pendulum, left and right. Nothing new, it's been like this for months.

I moved my paws up to the feelers on the back of my head. These nubs that just dangled from the back of my head, causing no pain. Held them up, let them fall right back down. It was amusing, I nearly laughed, but then realized what I had been doing.

These distractions, I was using, were just to help me forget. As hard I tried, I just wanted to forget, everything. All that happened, I could just, let it wash away, start anew. I felt my eyes, the stains of tears madding the fur together right below them. I wanted to keep on, but, I ran out of tears. I was too tired to do it again.

I lost everything… and all I got wat this new body. I can't really say, this body doesn't have it's uses… but, I don't think it was worth what I lost, not by a long shot. I really don't, know what I'm supposed to do now. I lost my freedom, I lost my family, I lost my friends, and lost the only thing I had left… What more, could be taken?

Easy answer, would probably be my life. I have no intention of taking it or losing it. But, what do I even have to live for anymore, my freedom? In the long run, maybe I could move on, but, how do you move on from all of this. How do you move on, when you have no one there, to reassure you that, everything's going to be okay. Even if it was just to make me feel better, I wish I could hear it, cause I sure can't say it myself.

My mind keeps going back to that moment. How… could she smile at me? After everything, I did, after involving her, after her being attacked, after me…. How could she ever, smile at me. How could she have even wanted to still be with me?

"I don't want to be alone," her words, those very words. She had the same fears I did, she didn't want to be alone. When she hugged me, she was just so afraid of being alone. I… I wanted the hug never end, and neither did she. I wanted… I didn't…

I felt myself begin to break again. I remembered one last thing. Before I fell unconscious… she looked so peaceful, almost content. She didn't want to die, yet seemed to go so peacefully, why… was it because… she wasn't alone. Was the idea of her being alone, a worse fear then death? I don't know, I don't know what it was, but she, she went in peace.

A stupid, childish thought crossed my mind. It was just, a simple idea. I was standing next to her. I was still this creature, but, we were just standing on the beach. Waves hitting our feet as they glided across the sand, both our gazes just looking out to the ocean. Such a nice and quiet place, something so simple, yet, for a moment. I got to smile, even if it wasn't for long.

Just a stupid childish idea….

I laughed quietly to myself, "That… would have been something…"

Suddenly my ears perked up to hearing footsteps coming from outside the room I was in. The door opened to reveal Veil walking in, unlocking the room I was in and walking inside. She looked at me sympathetically.

"Hey…" She said.

-Hi…- I replied.

There was silence for a while, I wasn't trying to be rude by keeping quiet, I just really didn't know what to say or do. Everything was weighing against me, and I just couldn't, really…

"Hey, look, I uh… I need your help with something," She said.

I looked up at her, -What? What do you need? I've told you everything I know…-

"No no, you have, but it's something else," she explained.

I cocked my head in confusion.

"So, the other two creatures you fought that day, Bruce and the other one. I wanted to see if you could try and speak with them?" She asked.

-Speak to them? But Bruce is, I don't think he's really there, and the other one, she seemed confused about everything, are you sure this is a good idea?- I asked.

"I don't know if it is or not, but… Whatever info they can give us, we need it, if we're gonna make sure these people get caught. Look, we don't have to make them remember all in one go, but, we need to at least warm them up to the idea, we started with you because it seemed the easiest, and as of now you're our only way of communicating with them, so… We need your help, please…" She asked wholeheartedly.

I looked down, not really sure if I should, but there was really nothing to lose from doing it.

-Ok… do I need to be handcuffed or anything?- I asked expecting that was what was required.

"As long as you stick with me, there will not be anything like it required," she replied.

This made me a bit more upbeat about this, I wasn't being treated like someone who was abnormal, by her at the very least.

She led me out of the room, being very precocious, watching me a lot. It was understandable, she had to make sure I wouldn't do anything. I didn't plan on it however, I had no reason to hurt her or anyone here, so there was nothing to worry about.

I looked around, some of the officers I passed by giving me looks. Some of them have probably already seen me, but it still must be a shock to them. Some people will take the situation differently I guess. It was a different feeling now that more people knew, I felt a bit freer I guess? Not really worrying about having to hide, but it was still a scary feeling, knowing that there would be people who would not accept this. That's history, and history has a good way of repeating.

We made our way over to a giant window, on the other side I could see Bruce. This dragon paced around his room, almost impatiently. I looked up at Veil.

-So what's the plan here?- I asked.

"Well we're going to let you in there to see if you can talk to him, we've got a double sided door so there's not a way for him to escape, let's just hope nothing goes wrong," she said.

-Let's hope he doesn't hold a grudge about the car… or the shotgun… damnit,- I replied back.

"Let's just hope he doesn't get angry…" She said worryingly.

I followed her to the entrance of the… enclosure? She slowly unlocked the gate for me to enter and I was met with another gate. She told me that I would have to open the second one, and then leave it open once I got in when I was ready to leave I would close it back, and she'd let me out as well.

I opened the second gate to be greeted with the face of Bruce. It was almost like if a snake was ready to pounce. He got one look at me and started to growl. It was a very odd sound, almost like a hiss from a snake, and the low growl of a large dog combined. The sound bounded throughout the room bouncing off the walls making it seem even louder than it probably was.

I decided to just take the calmest and most casual approach.

"H-hey Bruce… It's Xeta…" I said simply.

The growling stopped for a moment. Bruce's head cocked, looking at me in a hint of curiosity.

"Ga… Rrr…?" He took a few steps towards me, looking down at me he inspected me. I didn't dare move, making sure to make no movements that would scare or intimidate him. He just, examined me, without making any more sounds, and then, turned away. Just going about his business.

I tried to speak again, "Hey uh Bruce, can you understand me?"

He gave out a grunt and looked at me, and then huffed turning back around.

"Bruce look, if you can speak I need an answer-" as I tried to walk closer to him, his tail flew back and whacked me back. Thankfully I was able to block it and hold myself.

He gave another growl, but then stopped. Going back to his business. I decided that was enough and left the room, locking the gate back. I heard unlocking coming from the other gate, and on the other side I met up with Veil.

"I'm going to assume it didn't go so well," She said closing the door back once I got on the other side.

-Not, entirely? From, what I could tell, he was able to… I wouldn't say he understood what I said, but I think he understood that I was saying something. One thing is for certain he is much less hostile than the last encounters I had with him, which in of itself is a good thing. But, the bad news is I don't think it's him, not, either, he's not there at all, or so much has changed that, if he is there, there isn't any sign of him as of yet,- I explained.

"So he didn't speak to you?" she asked.

I shook my head, -No, sadly it seems he isn't able to speak to his own kind, not yet at least, if he could understand that I was trying to say something, then, maybe he could learn? But, that's just me hoping, I don't know if that will happen or not… A good side of this whole thing is, at least he's alive…-

"Xeta..?" she asked.

-It's, it's okay, I promise,- I gave a smile, trying to reassure her.

"Y-yeah… Hey Xeta?" she asked.

-What is it?- I asked.

"Things… Things will be okay, I promise they will," she said. I guessed that was her way of trying to cheer me up, in some ways, it felt good just to hear.

-T.. Thanks, I needed that,- I said.

Veil said we needed to move on to the next. We moved over to a normal cell, which held the green and white creature from before. Her eyes were closed, was she sleeping? Veil took out her keys and started to open the cell.

"Here, just wake her up gently ok? I don't think she'll mind," Veil said.

I was skeptical of this at first, but I agreed to help, so I just went for it. I slowly took my time to walk over to her. She was on her knees, sat up straight, and still. The only motions made from her was from her breathing. The only sounds in the cell were the very clam breathing and quiet snoring that could be heard from her. I gently placed my paw and her shoulder, and slowly shook her.

"Hey… Hey." I tried to get her attention.

I saw movement from her. Her arms moved above her, stretching them out, and then she rubbed her eyes.

"Huh?" she said, looking over to me, "Ah!" I seemed to have spooked her, I guess she didn't expect to see me.

"Hey, sorry didn't mean to spook you," I said with a warm smile, trying to keep her calm.

A bit of recollection came to her it seemed, "Wait.. you're from before? Right? Your name was…"

"Xeta… It's Xeta, things were pretty crazy, it's not a surprise you forgot," I said keeping the mood light.

"S-sorry… I didn't mean to… What happened?" She asked.

"Uh… well, the attack ended, not sure if anyone here explained it to you or not," I said.

"They talked about me, but didn't really talk to me…" She said kinda sadly.

"It's ok, I know the feeling, and it's not your fault, they can't understand us when we speak like this," I said.

"Wait… they can't understand us?" She asked.

"Not like this no, seems only we can understand each other," I said.

"So… you're one of my kind as well?" She asked.

"Yeah… I mean, I guess so," I said back.

"That's… I'm glad…" She said sporting a smile now.

"Oh… well, it's good to talk to another of my kind as well… a friendly one at least," I said laughing nervously.

"Yeah… same here… that black one with me kept that collar on me, and hurt me… he wasn't nice…" she explained.

"You mean Monty, well, you don't have to worry about him anymore, he can't hurt you," I said.

"R-really?" she asked expectantly.

"Yeah, I made sure of it," I said, "He can't hurt anyone anymore."

Just then, without warning, the creature hugged me. She seemed to be crying, I guess she was just relieved. I didn't really know what to do here, so I did the most logical thing and returned the hug. I looked back at Veil who seemed relieved of the situation.

"Thank you… I hated that place… I hated him… I hated it… all of it…" She said between her sobs.

"It's ok, don't worry, it's ok now," I said reassuring her.

After she calmed down, we broke away from the hug. She was wiping the tears from her eyes. She regained her composure and looked at me.

"Sorry… I, I'm just," she was having trouble.

"It's okay, you don't have to worry about any of that now, the people here won't hurt you, neither will I," I reassured.

She gave a big smile, she was really happy.

"Hey… I'm sorry to break this up, but we needed to ask you some questions," I said.

"Some questions? I… I'll try, but, I don't know if I'll be able to help," she said.

"Ok, just answer what you can, and don't force yourself if you can't remember," I said.

She nodded and I began asking.

"I know, I asked you this before, but if you can't remember, again don't stress yourself, do… you know your name?" I asked.

She gave it some time, calming herself, trying to think. From her actions and demeanor, I can tell she's seeing a lot of haze. She freaked out before from just trying to remember her name, she seems like Bruce in a sense, not able to remember themselves, but unlike Bruce, she retained a sense of self like me at the very least. Even if she can't remember who that self is.

She shook her head, "I… I don't know, I can't remember it, I feel like I know it, but, I've been called so many things, I don't know what my name is…"

I nodded, "It's okay, don't worry… We have plenty of time, and, while we take the time to do this, we'll do what we can to help you remember your name, how's that sound?"

She smiled at that idea, "Really? You'll help me remember my name?"

"Yeah, just help us, and we'll do what we can to help you," I said.

She nodded once again.

"Ok, you said you hated Monty, and whatever place you were at… can you tell me about that place?" I asked.

She took a breath, "I remember being in a cage for most of my time there, much like here, but the people aren't as nice… Well, I think there was one nice one, but that was it… The place had, tables… I think, and big open rooms for testing, I remember them making me practice this energy I use there."

"Like training?" I asked.

"Yeah… I guess that's what it was… and there was one more thing…" she said.

I waited for her response.

"There, were others like me," she said.

My eyes grew wide at what she had just said.

"How many?" I asked.

"Uh… A lot, I think… yeah, a lot," she said.

My mind started racing now, I had thought there were maybe more of my kind due to what had been said, and how organized some of these guy's things were, but now this confirmed my suspicions.

"Can they speak as well?" I asked.

"Like, did I talk to them?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Yeah… but none of them I talked to were happy, they kept saying they wanted to go home… it was really scary…" she explained.

I nodded.

"Hey… can I ask you something?" she said.

"Huh? Oh uh yeah," I said.

"Can you do the things I can do, like this?" She held her small hand out, some bright, pink and blue energy surrounding it.

I smiled at the gesture, showing my energy from my paw, glowing a dark purple.

"Yep, sure can," I said.

She examined it curiously.

"Why's yours a different color?" she asked.

"I mean… I'm not sure actually," I laughed at the comment.

"Oh.. haha," she laughed as well.

I then turned my attention to Veil, -So I've asked her about where she was located and her name, anything else?-

"Not at the moment, we don't want to overdo it," she said.

I nodded.

"Wait… were you just talking to her?" the creature asked me.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I was," I said.

"I didn't hear you say anything, why did she?" she asked me.

"Oh, well, I can basically send thoughts to people," I said.

"How… wait… do you think I could do that?" she asked.

I thought for a moment, her powers seemed rather similar to mine in some ways, her control over energy, and Monty having the same ability… Could it be possible for her?

"Actually, you may be on to something, want to give it a try?" I asked.

"Uh y-yeah! How do I do it?" She asked.

"Ok, it's not that hard, I promise," I said.

"What's going on?" Veil asked concerned.

-I'm trying to teach her how she can speak to you guys as I do,- I explained.

"Wait can she learn that?" Veil asked.

-Worth a shot,- I said.

I turned my attention back to the creature, "Ok now, what I want you to do, is first focus on me, ok?"

She then started hard at me, maybe a bit too hard.

"Uh, not that much," I laughed, "Just keep your focus on me."

She relaxed a little.

"Ok, now, try to send just a light amount of energy around you, it doesn't have to be much," I said.

She seemed to follow what I was saying, this type of speech wasn't that hard if you had the ability to do it, which I think she did.

"Now, all you have to do is say something in your mind, just think to yourself, and I should get the message," I explained.

She seemed to try for a moment, but then the next second later.

-Hello?- I heard in my head.

I jumped up, "You did it!"

Her eyes widened and she smiled, "D-did I?!"

"Yeah! You did!" I said smiling.

She just started giggling, she was overjoyed.

"Ok now try talking to her!" I said pointing to Veil, and she started focusing on her.

"Uh… hey why is she looking at me like that," Veil asked backing up.

-It'll be fine, trust me!- I said to her with a smile.

Veil seemed to be taken aback, maybe because I was happy? Not sure. She calmed down and just waited.

She jumped a bit.

"Uh… Hi?" she said. It seems she got the message.

"She heard me!" the unnamed creature happily said.

"Wait what the, was that you?!" Veil asked.

The creature next to me nodded.

"That's, amazing! Now we have two of you who can talk," Veil said.

-Seems like it,- I said smiling.

"Oh also, keep practicing it and you can send messages to more than one person!" I said to her.

The creature nodded.

I explained to her that we were about to be heading out now. She didn't seem to mind staying in the cell, I think she was happier that she actually had someone to talk to. I exited the cell and brought the info to Veil.

"So what did you find out?" She asked.

-She can't remember her name or where she came from, but she gave us something important,- I said.

"What is it?" She asked.

-There are more of my kind, like those creatures, there's a lot of them,- I explained.

She got a bit shaken up about that one, "You can't be serious?"

-Well, the good news is it seems like they aren't on their side, it seems like they were victims like me, just wanting to go home,- I explained.

"You sure?" Veil asked.

-That's what she said, but again she probably hasn't met all of them, so it's not exactly sure cut,- I said.

"It seems that way, how the hell did they manage all of this?" Veil asked.

-I've been asking that since day one…- I said.

I was starting to feel the weight of it all again. While talking to that creature had been a nice time, and being able to move around helped, it was nothing to help me come back to one-hundred percent. I decided I just wanted to head back to my room now.

-Ok, I guess you can take me back now, I'm also kind of hungry, if you don't mind,- I started walking but noticed she wasn't following.

"Uh… wait, there's something else we need to do," she said.

-What? I thought that was it?- I asked.

I noticed her sigh, "No… There's one more," she said.

This confused me, I had only seen Bruce, the other creature, and Monty… Monty was dead, so was there one I missed? I could have sworn there were no others unless this was one they came into contact on their own. Veil told me to follow her, we moved down the hallway with the cells, and she stopped at one a bit ways past the other creatures.

Inside the cell, I noticed a canine-like creature. Pure white fur covered most of its body. It laid on its left side stretched out. It's face covered in dark grey fur, and a sickle-shaped horn forming from the right side of its head. It had a really large tuft of fur around its neck as well. Then its paws had three claws on each, and one forming from the back joint of each. Then to finish off the look it had a tail that I could only describe as being shaped like a sword.

It was sleeping.

-So where'd you find it?- I asked.

"Somewhere," she said quickly.

I shrugged it off.

-So what do you want me to do? Wake it up?- I asked.

Veil wasn't speaking.

-Veil?- I asked.

I turned around to see her looking down, she seemed really nervous.

-Veil? What's wrong?- I asked.

"Xeta… there's something I found out after you told me what happened at the school," she said.

-What's brought this up all of the sudden?- I asked.

"Look, just listen okay?!" she said a bit louder.

I stayed quiet, she seemed serious.

"Argh, damnit… how do I put this… god damnit… Ok, just, just say it," She said to herself.

I was really confused here.

"Xeta… we never found, Elizabeth's body," she said.

As soon as those words had left her mouth, my anger started to rise. It wasn't sadness, it wasn't fear, it was anger.

-What… are you talking about?- I stared her down.

"Look, I know you're going to be mad about-" I cut her off.

-You better believe I'm mad! You're telling me after all of that, you people couldn't even keep her body safe, how did you miss that!? She was in my arms, there's no other place she could have been, AND YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU DIDN'T FIND IT!?- I yelled.

"SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" she yelled at me.

I backed off, letting her speak.

"Look, I knew you weren't gonna be happy to hear that, I knew you weren't, we never found her body, it wasn't there… But… after hearing what you told me that happened in the school… I think I know where it went," she said.

-Where it went?! What in the hell are you talking about?- I asked now angry and confused.

"Xeta… You weren't holding the body of a dead girl in your arms," she said.

-What..?- I asked.

She looked over to next to me, "In your arms… you were holding that creature."

Unconsciously, and slowly, my head turned looking over at the bed I had looked at only moments ago. The creature laying down, peacefully in silence… as if there was… nothing wrong… I felt my breathing go heavy.

"Everything was still in place as you said," I looked back over to her in silence, "The jacket laying under you two, your arms still curled around it, even blood was still on it like you had said… Xeta…" She said my name.

My body was shaking, all of my emotions not being under control anymore. I felt tears leave my eyes. I bit my lip.

"Xeta, I can't think of anything else here that makes sense, I never found her body, nothing was moved, and you were holding onto her, refusing to let go, just like you said you were… Xeta…. Xeta it's her."

When she said that I fell over. Landing on my knees, my arms and head landing on the bed. I was laughing and crying. It was too much to handle, everything I had felt had just washed away, all of it being replaced with joy, overwhelming joy that just let everything out. My sadness, my fear, all of it, all of it was removed in the span of seconds, and my body and mind couldn't handle it. The second time I cried today, but I didn't care, none of that mattered, none of it. It felt too good to be true.

-You… you… you're su-ure? You aren't lying… right? This isn't a joke right?- I asked looking up at her, wanting to know if what I was really seeing and feeling was real.

"From what I've gathered… it's a very low chance of me being wrong here… also, I'm not cruel enough to make a joke like that," she smiled genuinely.

I kept laughing, relief washing over me, I was so happy, I couldn't even form words. Just happy whimpers and sobs, and the occasionally attempted thank you came out of my mouth, though she wouldn't have heard it.

"I'll go get you a chair, and after that some food. I made arrangements for you to stay in here, it would be cruel, and besides… You aren't criminals, no reason to treat you as such," she said.

-Thank you… Thank you…- I said.

I heard her shut the gate and walk off. I got up for a moment to look at her. She was so peaceful, I couldn't believe she slept through the yelling. I just laughed, I just couldn't believe what had happened. Everything that I had thought, flipped itself on its head in a matter of seconds. I just… Holy shit…

I decided in the end not to wake her, she'd been through a lot herself, and she was gonna need the rest before she finds out what happened. I can only imagine her reaction, for now, I'd just wait… Besides…

We weren't going anywhere.


End file.
